Man United vs Man City live: Michael Carrick prepares for derby test on Old Trafford return | OneFootball

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Manchester Utd interim head coach Michael Carrick on role and latest ahead of City clash

Michael Carrick’s interim reign at Manchester United kicks off with the visit of fierce rivals Manchester City as the former midfielder looks to spark a change in fortunes at Old Trafford.

Carrick took the reins from caretaker boss and ex-teammate Darren Fletcher on Tuesday after the Scotsman failed to deliver a win in his two games in charge, with United looking to get their push for Champions League qualification back on track after the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

The hosts will climb into the top four, at least temporarily, with victory in the Manchester derby but may face a tough challenge against a motivated Man City, who are keen to reignite their title charge.

A run of three consecutive draws has allowed Arsenal to pull away from Pep Guardiola’s side, but after the Gunners were held by Liverpool on Monday, City have a chance to close the gap to three points and ramp up the pressure ahead of the league leaders’ trip to Nottingham Forest later in the day.

As things stand

Manchester United come into the match sitting seventh in the league table and three points behind Liverpool in fourth.

The Red Devils will actually enter the top four should they beat Man City today though they may not remain there for long given the rest of the fixtures this weekend.

For City, they are second and six points behind leaders Arsenal. In order to put pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side, Pep Guardiola’s men must collect three points and force the Gunners to respond when they face Nottingham Forest this evening.

Mike Jones17 January 2026 11:06

How Pep Guardiola defined Michael Carrick’s career and Man United still feel the impact

But for Pep Guardiola, Michael Carrick might have been a triple Champions League winner. A Manchester derby is a meeting of deep-lying midfielders of different generations.

Carrick was more Spanish-style schemer than a traditionally English box-to-box bustler. He attracted an admirer in the man who will be in the opposite dugout on Saturday. In 2017, Guardiola called Carrick “one of the best holding midfielders I've ever seen in my life”.

How Guardiola defined Carrick’s career and Man United still feel the impact

It is fitting that Carrick’s first game in charge at Old Trafford is a derby against Guardiola’s Man City, given how their careers have intersected

Richard Jolly17 January 2026 11:00

Carrick trying to rediscover Man Utd formula

Michael Carrick has taken on the responsibility of finding a way for Man Utd to be successful and win games.

Of today’s team selection, and that of the squad going forward, he said: “Nothing different to any other team in terms of putting players on the pitch that we think will fit in a good balance and depending what game, who we're playing against, what it looks like, where's our strength.

“That's it, that's on me and my coaches and the staff to put that together. I'm flexible at times, as I said, we've been in here three days, so it's a big game. Playing against a tough team, obviously a very good team, playing well.

“So, there's challenges within that. But yeah, it's obviously up to me and my staff to find that formula.”

Mike Jones17 January 2026 10:42

Pep believes midfielders make the best coaches

Pep Guardiola was also full of praise for his opposite manager today.

The Spaniard revealed that Michael Carrick’s role as a holding midfielder makes him an ideal candidate to become a successful manager and Guardiola believes the players with the best view of how matches play out have better insights when it comes to management.

“I would say maybe central defenders and holding midfielders, because of their position, have a better global vision than playing as a winger for example,” he revealed.

“I’m not saying that a winger cannot read perfectly the game but it’s different. All I can say is Michael [Carrick] as a player was extraordinary.”

(Getty Images)

Guardiola on handling Carrick's United

Pep Guardiola would have liked a bit more time to study how Manchester United will play under Michael Carrick and says his team must adapt to how the new boss sets up their opponents today.

“When you have more info of what the opposition manager does, you can give more info to the players,” the City boss said.

“When you don’t have any info, you can’t give any info to the players so you focus on yourself.

“Maybe with the line-up [announced] tomorrow we will have an idea, you can see what he did at Middlesbrough or the first part at Man United, but tactics are about the players and who they have will be different to Middlesbrough. So what they are going to do I don’t know.”

Man Utd to get 'fresh start' under Carrick

The new United boss says that he hopes to bring a ‘fresh start’ for the players and has belief in their ability to perform in the Premier League.

“It's a fresh start, and I've got a lot of belief in the group, individually, and collectively,” said Michael Carrick ahead of today’s game.

“I've got a lot of belief in that, and as I've just said, confidence and a feeling, and things can go in a different direction very quickly, and I've got a lot of belief in the boys.

“I think it’s so half-full, half-empty, it’s what players can't do or the team can't do, we actually forget what they can do, what they're good at and believe in that and work on their strengths and feed off that energy to make you better.

“There's a lot of players and a lot of teams in the world that can't do things, but that doesn't stop them being successful. So, we need to find that ingredient, and I fully believe we can do that.”

(Manchester United via Getty Imag)