How Carrick masterminded Man Utd resurgence revealed, with three crucial players ecstatic

Three players in particular have benefitted hugely from Michael Carrick’s appointment, with a report detailing the tactical tweaks he’s made that have sparked Manchester United’s surge up the table.

In truth, it wouldn’t have taken much to upgrade on Ruben Amorim’s shambolic version of Man Utd , but in Carrick, the club landed on a manager who’s surprised even the most ambitious of United fans.

The 44-year-old has overseen four wins and one draw so far, including victories over the two main title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester City .

Carrick has been rewarded with the manager of the month award for January, and although he’s not the frontrunner to get the job outright , he’s well within his rights to point United towards his stellar record so far.

Man Utd have surged up the table since he took charge and look on course to qualify for the Champions League. As it was last year, fifth spot is projected to be good enough for a place.

Another three points against Everton tonight will strengthen their quest for UCL football and the latest from The Daily Mail has shed light on the tactical tweaks Carrick has made that have paid huge dividends thus far.

And per the report, there’s three players in particular who’ve benefitted the most – Kobbie Mainoo , Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes .

Mainoo’s recall has brought him back in from the cold and breathed new life into his chances of making England’s World Cup squad.

The extra energy around Casemiro and instructions to the wide players to tuck in has helped protect Casemiro who is thriving once again.

And of course, Fernandes has been released from the shackles of playing deeper and is back to being at the heart of everything United do well in the final third from his favoured No 10 role.

The Mail’s Man Utd expert, Chris Wheeler, wrote: ‘Much of the progress made under Carrick has felt like a victory for common sense. No more agonising over a back three and taking players out of their comfort zone.

‘Carrick has reverted to the 4-2-3-1 system favoured by Solskjaer, Ten Hag and Fletcher. Round pegs in round holes. He has praised the players for embracing change but, in many ways, United have gone back to what they know best.

‘Aside from the draw at West Ham last time out, they have played fluid, attacking football in the best traditions of the club. There is more confidence and belief coursing through this team now.

‘Having Harry Maguire back in central defence and restoring Mainoo alongside Casemiro – thus allowing Fernandes to play in his more natural No 10 role – has been crucial.

‘In the past, Casemiro and Mainoo had been isolated in the middle, but one of the reasons Carrick won his first game in the Manchester derby was by instructing wide men Amad Diallo and Dorgu to tuck in from the wings and help out.

‘The rest of the team was also under orders to flood the spaces when City attacked, resulting in Mainoo, Dorgu, Diallo and Fernandes running four of the top five distances out of possession by any United player this season.

‘As well as playing four at the back and stabilising the midfield, Carrick is getting the most of his attack by playing Mbeumo through the middle. The Cameroon international has scored three goals in five games.

‘United have kept their opponents guessing by interchanging Mbeumo with Fernandes and Matheus Cunha, most effectively against Spurs and Fulham.

‘It has meant dropping Sesko after his three goals in two games under Fletcher, but the Slovenian has come on to score important late goals against Fulham and West Ham.

‘Benching Cunha against Arsenal also provoked a positive response when he produced a stunning winner at the Emirates.

‘It feels like United are playing with more intensity but, in fact, the stats from Carrick’s first five games compared to Amorim’s last five show that they are pressing less.

‘Surprisingly, they have also had less possession, fewer shots on goal and a lower number of expected goals (xG), a metric which calculates how likely a player is to score from any given shot.

‘The key seems to be in capitalising on their opportunities with more goals scored, more shots on target, more passes completed and more tackles won. Defensively, United are stronger with fewer goals conceded and a lower xG against.’

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In other news, Man Utd are looking to sign Sandro Tonali and another elite Newcastle United star in a double deal that could cost £175million (€200m / $236m), according to reports.