Three ways Carrick has made Amorim look foolish as painful double Man Utd sale can now be averted | OneFootball

Michael Carrick has enjoyed a perfect start to his Manchester United reign so far and some of his decisions have been putting predecessor Ruben Amorim to shame.

Carrick is in charge of United until the end of the season after the sacking of Amorim in January. So far, the interim manager has won four out of four. But beyond the results, some of his decision-making with players who could have left, or who’ve only recently joined the club, suggests he has handled some cases better than Amorim did.

It was plain to see that Amorim wasn’t inspiring the results you would expect from a club like United. Now, what Carrick is doing so far is only amplifying that.

We take a closer look at three decisions Carrick has made so far that have frankly shown Amorim up – with two having the chance to stop some needless exits in the transfer market.

Restoring Kobbie Mainoo

One of the big stories from the final few months of Amorim’s reign was his stubborn refusal to give decent gametime to Kobbie Mainoo.

It led to the midfielder, a product of United’s academy, hoping to escape the club in the January transfer window, knowing his place in England’s World Cup squad this summer could be on the line.

United were always opposed to Mainoo’s exit, but the dismissal of Amorim gave him a fresh slate. In turn, Carrick has quickly restored him to a more prominent role in midfield.

Indeed, Mainoo hasn’t missed a minute of action since Carrick’s appointment and the way he has played – with two assists from those four games – hasn’t suggested they have been his first league starts of the season.

Amorim was adamant there wasn’t an obvious role for Mainoo to become a regular in his system and hit back at the media for their so-called obsession over him.

But it’s now looking plainly clear that he had a useful asset there in his squad all along that he didn’t make the most of.

Amorim could have adapted his tactics to fit Mainoo in, but didn’t think it was worthwhile. Fortunately for United, the 20-year-old is getting back on track now and looks on course to have the last laugh.

From the club’s perspective, they will be glad they stuck to their guns and didn’t let Mainoo go when he was attracting interest last month.

His contract is due to expire at the end of next season, but United do have an option to extend his stay until 2028 and, as TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey recently, revealed, are planning to accelerate talks over a long-term deal.

Using Bruno Fernandes correctly

Along with Mainoo, another talented midfielder who was a bit of an awkward fit in Amorim’s preferred formation was Fernandes.

And when you consider the fact that the club captain is still widely regarded as their best player, it makes you wonder why Amorim didn’t find a way to get more out of his compatriot.

In the 3-4-2-1 shape Amorim was religiously tied to, Fernandes was limited when playing as part of the deeper midfield pairing.

Since Carrick has reverted to a 4-2-3-1, Fernandes has been restored to a more familiar no.10 role as a central attacking midfielder. There hasn’t been a game since in which Fernandes hasn’t contributed a goal or assist.

Fernandes is in the same contract situation as Mainoo, with his terms up at the end of next season but an option remaining for the 2027-28 campaign.

Whether he stays or goes is in the balance, with the Saudi Pro League long since identifying Fernandes as a potential flagship arrival.

Being able to enjoy a run of games in his most effective position and proving he still has what it takes to excel there, in view of a potential new regime coming in during the summer, could sway any decision he makes over his future.

Putting Mbeumo up front

Mbeumo arrived at United in the summer to occupy one of the two attacking midfield spots in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, usually starting from the right-hand side.

But since his return from Africa Cup of Nations duties and linking up with Carrick, Mbeumo has been pushed further up the pitch and more central to become a striker.

He went on to score against Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as against Tottenham (although that was in a game he played as a winger in).

Mbeumo has been the best of United’s summer signings, but has shown there is more to his game by being able to play more centrally.

Whether it becomes his long-term role or not remains to be seen. But with his fellow summer signing Benjamin Sesko – the one signed to be a centre-forward – not hitting the ground running as much, Mbeumo might be able to give United an extra degree of threat up front.