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Michael Carrick’s time in charge of Manchester United could hardly be more different to that of predecessor Ruben Amorim.
The Englishman is five games into an as-yet-unbeaten spell as interim head coach, chalking up 13 Premier League points from a possible 15 and stringing together four wins on the bounce at the first time of asking.
Amorim, using the exact same bunch of players, never managed to do either. The reasons why the two head coaches had such contrasting experiences with the same squad are many and varied, and often include numbers like 3 and 4, but their use of personnel is one of the most significant differences in approach.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Where Amorim would tinker endlessly with his lineups, his backline a rotating cast of centre-backs of various shapes and sizes, Carrick has made as few changes to his starting XIs as medically permissible.
There was no reason to alter the lineup which deconstructed Manchester City for the visit to Arsenal, and to date Carrick’s only rotation has been Matheus Cunha in for the injured Patrick Dorgu.
And that, folks, is that. Carrick’s adherence to his strongest team is his version of Amorim’s dogged 3-4-2-1 extremism, but only one of these beliefs stands up to scrutiny.
Winners and losers
Simple common sense is one of Carrick’s real strong points – if something works, don’t change it. You wouldn’t put it past him changing something that doesn’t work, and for that reason his selection for the Everton match will be fascinating after a rough ride at West Ham last week.
His approach has many winners – Man United, for one – but will also have come as a blow to some players suddenly in a much more peripheral position than they were six weeks ago.
Young centre-backs Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are two of the biggest losers in this respect. Yoro has played 23 minutes across Carrick’s five games, and Heaven just one (as per transfermarkt).
If it ain’t broke
It’s natural to have some sympathy for these promising players, whose combined age is that of Tom Heaton, but it would be wrong to turn their lack of minutes into an issue. They are not necessarily the reason for their sidelining, and their new head coach has not wronged them.
Carrick’s go-to backline has earned two clean sheets from five games, doubling United’s tally from their previous 21 league matches. That has been achieved with a consistent starting four of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot, and it’s reasonable to assume a positive correlation between time spent on the pitch together and effectiveness as a defensive unit.
The ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ mentality applies across the park but nowhere is it more important to have a stable foundation than in defence, and if this experienced set of players are delivering what Carrick wants then making changes would be a foolhardy move from a so far very level-headed coach.
Defensive depth
Despite having a flawed squad overall United are flush with defensive options, and Amorim took full advantage. Not only did he start with three centre-backs in the first place, he would frequently share the minutes around with second-half substitutions in those positions.
But that is not to say that with the Portuguese’s departure a defensive cull is in order. For better or for worse life beyond Maguire is fast approaching – he will be out of contract at the end of the season, and while a renewal is not out of the question it is also not guaranteed. At close to 33 he is entering the twilight of his career however well he is playing right now, so a succession plan is surely being drawn up.
Matthijs de Ligt is waiting in the wings but has been missing through injury for months, calling into question his long-term durability, meaning sooner or later minutes for Yoro or Heaven will become a mathematical certainty.
Bright future
The pair have youth on their side as well as first-team experience, making them perfect options to turn to in due course for whoever finds themselves in the Old Trafford hotseat come the start of next season.
For the good of the team they may be warming the bench for now, but any discussion that their long- or even medium-term prospects are bleak must be nipped in the bud and dismissed as tripe.
It would also be patently ridiculous for either player to take these five games, or even the rest of this season, to heart; they must have one eye on next season when United will hopefully have a much busier fixture calendar, when the club’s strength in depth will become clear and opportunities will be plentiful.
For now, they must just knuckle down and be part of a squad surely buzzing with newfound positivity – and there is every sign they are doing just that. Both youngsters could have a major part to play at Old Trafford for many years to come.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
