Michael Carrick has made a significant impact since returning to Manchester United as head coach, winning five of his first six matches and earning 16 points from a possible 18 in the Premier League. The 44-year-old replaced Ruben Amorim in mid-January and has already guided the club to fourth place, three points behind third-placed Aston Villa.
Carrick has implemented several changes both on and off the pitch. He has restructured Amorim's rigid 3-4-3 formation and restored Kobbie Mainoo to the starting lineup. More notably, he has altered the post-match routine by speaking to players immediately after games, something Amorim rarely did. Carrick also scrapped the policy of Erik ten Hag and Amorim that required players to train the day after matches, instead introducing designated rest days within 24 hours of a fixture.
The changes have been well received by the squad, who appreciate the empathy and understanding Carrick has shown. A source told The Telegraph: 'The players look at it and go: 'He cares about my life.' And you just know automatically you get an unwritten return on that.' The lack of empathy has been a common complaint about past managers, from Louis van Gaal to Erik ten Hag.
United aim to strengthen their Champions League pursuit when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday. A win would move them above Aston Villa into third place. Carrick said in his pre-match press conference: 'I think we're in a good place. In some ways, we've made big strides, winning games that we might not have won at other times... So there's lots of positives.'
