Man Utd caretaker Michael Carrick gives Glazers food for thought due to Solskjaer contrast
Carrick calls for focus after emotional few days at Man Utd
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Manchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick has given the Glazer family food for thought when it comes to seeing out the rest of the season. At present, the Red Devils’ plan is reported to surround finding an interim boss to see out the campaign, before appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent replacement in the summer.
After an emotional few days following defeat to Watford on Saturday, Carrick took charge of his first United match against Villarreal.
During Solskjaer’s final weeks at the helm, he was under pressure from all angles for failing to find a winning recipe while results faltered.
Those in the Red Devils dressing room were reportedly growing unhappy at the Norwegian’s reluctance to rotate the team, with stars like Donny van de Beek collecting dust on the bench.
Furthermore, the likes of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, both of whom have endured recent downturns in form, were left on the pitch to try and turn the club’s fortunes around.
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In the 72 hours since Carrick was placed in temporary charge, it is clear that many of those beliefs have been dispensed with.
Before kick-off on Tuesday evening, the former Tottenham midfielder dropped both Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to the bench.
Meanwhile, forgotten stars like Alex Telles, Van de Beek and Anthony Martial were given an opportunity to impress from the start.
In such a short space of time, Carrick has proven that he is unphased by having to make a big decision, and his choice to give unfancied stars the chance to earn a crucial win should go some way towards restoring dressing room harmony.
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With a time-consuming search ongoing behind the scenes for an interim boss, and significant money likely to be involved once they find one, perhaps Carrick has given the Glazers food for thought going forward.
Despite being part of Solskjaer’s backroom team which oversaw some catastrophic results this season, he has swiftly implemented new ideas which are markedly different from his predecessor.
Based on thrashings at the hands of Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City and most recently Watford, change is certainly something the Red Devils had been calling for.
On the night, United remained defensively solid until Carrick instructed his players to crank up the pressure towards the end of the game.
In predictable fashion, Cristiano Ronaldo then found the opportunity to pounce in the closing stages.
With just 15 minutes remaining, the Portuguese delivered a trademark clinical finish to hand United the three points and boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
Although Solskjaer was often criticised for relying on the 36-year-old this season, Villarreal played host to a very different Man Utd performance on Tuesday.
Jadon Sancho then added gloss to the score-line with his first United goal, a powerful effort off the underside of the bar.
With a daunting tie with Chelsea scheduled for Sunday, it remains to be seen whether Carrick will be given another chance to prove his worth to the board.
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