Manchester United fans have slammed Michael Carrick for copying Ruben Amorim's 'obsession' with his team selection against Arsenal.
The Red Devils are in north London to face Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday in Carrick's second match in charge. Carrick made a triumphant return to Old Trafford last Saturday as United battered Manchester City in a 2-0 victory. And the interim manager has seen enough to name an unchanged team for the Arsenal clash.
However, his decision has not been well received by some United fans who slammed the decision to start Diogo Dalot at right-back over Noussair Mazraoui.
Manchester United's Danish defender #13 Patrick Dorgu (2L) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on January 17, 2026.
Manchester United battered Manchester City in Michael Carrick's first game in charge (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Dalot was fortunate to escape a red card just 10 minutes into the Manchester derby after a high tackle on Jeremy Doku and has been out of form for some time. But just like Amorim before him, Carrick is sticking with the Portuguese.
Fans took to social media to criticise the decision, with one user fuming: "This dalot obsession is f***** crazy. And shaw against saka? It is wraps."
A second asked: "How does Dalot start ahead of Maz?" A third echoed: "Seeing Dalot in the starting XI strips all of my confidence away." While another added: "Expected tbh only change I’d of made would be Mazraoui in for Dalot."
Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot was lucky not to see red in the Manchester derby (Image: Getty Images)
Mazraoui has played nine times in the Premier League for United this season, with just six of them starts. But the Arsenal game marks the first time he has returned to the squad since the 4-1 win at Wolves on December 8 due to AFCON.
The 28-year-old was called up by Morocco and was heartbreakingly a runner-up in a chaotic final, meaning he missed seven fixtures, including the win over City.
Elsewhere, Matheus Cunha starts on the bench again despite making a major impact as a substitute against City.
For Arsenal, Mikel Arteta's eye-catching selection is the decision to start Gabriel Jesus over the out-of-touch Viktor Gyokeres following the Brazilian's brace in the Champions League against Inter Milan.