The challenge for Michael Carrick when he took over the helm of a decidedly rocky ship from Ruben Amorim in January was Champions League qualification, and he hit the target in some style with victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Questions will rightly be asked about the manner in which United threw away a two-goal lead, and Carrick would be the first to admit that the squad he inherited needs some work. But a record of 10 wins from 14 games is testament to the job he and his back-room staff have done in turning United into a genuine force in a very short space of time.
Victory over Liverpool not only made Champions League football next season a mathematical certainty, it put some more daylight between the two clubs in the race for third place.
Michael Carrick has steered Manchester United back into the Champions League
This felt like Carrick’s last significant obstacle with three more games to go, and he cleared it. There is little more he can do to convince the United hierarchy that he is the right man to get the job full-time.
If they were to look elsewhere at the end of the season, it would be a huge gamble they simply don’t have to take.
Of all Carrick’s achievements over the last four months, resurrecting Kobbie Mainoo’s career at United is right up there with the best of them.
Let’s not forget just how far Mainoo had drifted under Amorim, and the new long-term contract he signed in the last week was a reward for Carrick’s handling of the young midfielder.
Mainoo celebrated here by firing the winner in front of the Stretford End, replicating one of his finest moments in a United shirt when he scored a fantastic goal in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in April 2024.
Afterwards, Mainoo paid tribute to Carrick’s role in persuading him to commit his future to United. ‘He’s played a huge part in it, all the confidence he gives all the players. You want to follow him and fight for him and die for him on the pitch.’
Amad Diallo once scored a famous winner against Liverpool in a sensational 4-3 FA Cup victory at Old Trafford, but the Ivorian looks a shadow of himself at the moment.
Substituted at half-time against Brentford on Monday, Amad came on as a replacement at the interval for the injured Benjamin Sesko after he had claimed United’s first goal.
However, almost his first contribution to the game was to give the ball away as Liverpool broke to score through Dominik Szoboszlai and threatened to turn the game on its head.
Amad made a mistake in the build up to Liverpool’s first goal and has struggled since AFCON
Amad hasn’t been the same since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations for Carrick’s first game in January. He was one of few players who flourished under Amorim and perhaps the only one who has gone backwards slightly under Carrick.
Not surprisingly, the United boss offered him some consoling words after his error here. ‘Amad has been immense for us and offered so much within the group and the team to put us in this position,’ said the United boss.
Senne Lammens has hardly put a foot wrong since he arrived at United, and he made an early impression with an unflappable display in his first away game against Liverpool at Anfield in October.
His error here was completely out of character but highlighted again the pitfalls of trying to play out from the back after he misplaced a pass to Casemiro and gifted Liverpool their second goal.
One of the Belgians qualities is that he is usually strong on both feet, but the wider question is do United have the players at the moment who are comfortable in this situation? Erik ten Hag found that out to his cost very early in his United career, and Carrick has to decide if it’s worth the risk.
