Michael Carrick has scrapped a whole host of rules from the Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United, with his tweaks on the training ground and match days bringing success
Michael Carrick has made a huge impact at Manchester United after stepping into the void created by Ruben Amorim’s exit – and he hasn’t been shy to rip up his predecessor’s work. United chiefs sacked Amorim on January 5 following a provocative press conference and turned to Carrick eight days later after considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The former midfielder has returned four wins and a draw in his five Premier League matches in charge so far, completely shifting the mood at the club. United will go fourth, two points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool, if they beat Everton on Monday night, putting them in a good position to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Carrick immediately ditched Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, in favour of a more simplistic 4-2-3-1, and has also recalled Kobbie Mainoo from exile under the former manager. United have been better at both ends of the pitch, beating Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham before drawing at West Ham.
The 44-year-old has put his name in the frame for the permanent role in the summer, when chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will make a call on the direction of travel. If Carrick keeps on winning and keeps everyone happy then he has a good chance of securing the job and his success has partly been due to instigating change.
FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
READ MORE: Man Utd’s private feelings on chances of Harry Maguire leaving club this summerREAD MORE: Gary Neville makes ‘wild prediction’ as he picks between Arsenal and Man City
Carrick has stuck to his own principles on the coaching pitch, changing the approach from Amorim’s coaching staff. The Daily Mail reports that he has tweaked four things around logistics too, using his own experiences as a player to make plans fit better.
He immediately shortened training sessions to make them more intense. That had the desired impact straight away, with Wayne Rooney reporting that Carrick had decided to stop training early ahead of the 3-2 win over Arsenal in January because it had been of such a high quality that he didn’t want to taint it by continuing.
“He wanted to bottle it up and make sure they had that performance for the game the following day,” Rooney said on Match of the Day at the time. The work on the training ground, led by Carrick and his assistant Steve Holland has hugely impressed the players.
MAKE THE MIRROR YOUR FIRST CHOICE! Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Carrick has also tweaked the approach on match days, ordering players to arrive 15 later for both home games and away games. Players now arrive one hour and 45 minutes before kick-off at Old Trafford and opponents’ grounds.
The other main difference to Amorim is that Carrick likes to speak to players immediately after matches in order to relay his feedback. This has gone down well, because the interim boss has been viewed as down to earth and approachable, rather than aloof like Amorim.
He has also introduced mandatory days off immediately following matches. A move which has gone down particularly well with players, who are able to spend more time with visiting family.
Harry Maguire recently outlined the improvements Carrick has inspired in the team. “Loads more urgency – and not just from the defenders, from the midfielders and the wide men getting back in and the striker protecting the edge of the box,” he told TNT Sports. “It’s so important that we do it as a team and we’ve got to make sure we get the spaces right and that we’re compact all over the pitch. Michael will bring that.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
