‘Untouchable’ Man Utd star gives Carrick major selection headache after ‘immense’ performance | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has a massive dilemma at the back, with Leny Yoro proving he’s worthy of a starting shirt.

When the 44-year-old took over from Ruben Amorim in mid-January, he opted to drop Yoro and fellow young defender Ayden Heaven from this starting lineup.

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Carrick’s arrival had coincided with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire’s return to form following their time on the sideline. Luckily for the new boss, the decision paid off, with the duo forming a robust partnership at the back, and playing a substantial role in the spectacular start of his managerial reign.

Leny Yoro pushing for a permanent starting role at Man United

In recent weeks, Carrick had to do without Martinez, who picked up a calf injury ahead of the Everton game.

With the Argentine ruled out again, Yoro was given a new opportunity to showcase his prowess. The Frenchman has certainly been displaying encouraging signs, as the work conducted under Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate is starting to bear its fruits.

Yoro produced another convincing display in the 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. Man Utd journalist Sully hailed the 20-year-old for a performance that was ‘nothing short of immense’.

With the young defender producing the goods at the back, Man Utd fans are left to wonder how Carrick will act once Lisandro is back in the fold.

Who should Carrick drop from Man Utd backline

Interestingly, Matthijs de Ligt, who was Man Utd’s most reliable defender in the first part of the season, is now the forgotten man in the equation.

In his exclusive interview with Stretty News, Wes Brown insisted that, once fit, the Dutchman should reclaim his starting berth, but this appears to be a postponed conundrum for Carrick, as the former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich man has yet to recover from the injury nightmare that has kept him out since November, and some fear he could remain on the treatment table until the end of the season.

On the other hand, Lisandro’s return represents a more concrete dilemma for Carrick, as the Argentine could be back in the coming days, more likely after the international break.

In normal circumstances, the healthy depth at the back would allow the Man Utd coach to rotate at the back, but in the absence of European football, and with the team getting immediately thumped out of domestic competitions, the fixture list is too light for such an arrangement.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see if Carrick will continue to back Yoro, who is considered one of the club’s ‘untouchables’, reconfirm the ultra-reliable Martinez, or opt for a third solution by playing the young Frenchman alongside the Argentine, at the expense of Maguire.

(Stats via DataMB)

Trying the final solution at some point might be necessary to test just how compatible Yoro and Martinez can be, especially since the experienced Englishman is facing an uncertain future, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

The table above shows that Yoro and Martinez are United’s best defenders when it comes to the build-up, but their defensive stats pale in comparison to Maguire’s. Hence, dropping the former Leicestar star would also be a risky move on Carrick’s behalf.