Carrick’s immediate impact has been striking. Since taking charge on January 13, he has guided United back into the UEFA Champions League in just 14 matches, overseeing a run of 10 wins against only two defeats.
That surge has propelled the club up the Premier League table, built on a clear emphasis on consistency in both selection and tactical approach.
Remarkably, Carrick has relied on just 17 different starters during this period. Among them, Manuel Ugarte has featured only once – his opportunity coming due to an injury to Kobbie Mainoo – while Noussair Mazraoui has made three starts.
United’s relatively light fixture list has aided that stability, with Carrick focusing exclusively on league action and navigating just two midweek matches.
However, the landscape will soon change. Champions League participation will add at least eight fixtures, potentially 10, while progress in domestic cups could push the total number of matches from around 40 to as many as 60.
“That’s obviously the next challenge, with being in a position where there’s more games,” Carrick said.
“It’s been a bit frustrating at certain points because we’ve had big gaps between games, so there’s a positive and a negative to that, but certainly the balance of the squad, what it looks like, strength, depth, that’s part of the conversations.
“When I came in, I wasn’t ever going to make decisions just to get to the end of the season. It was always for the benefit of the whole football club moving forward.
“We’re definitely well aware of what that should and could look like and where we want to try and get to.”
