Michael Carrick has put the season back on track at Man Utd, and it’s by taking the exact opposite stance of Ruben Amorim.
Half of Michael Carrick’s success at Man Utd this season has just been down to reversing Ruben Amorim’s mistakes on and off the field.
Straightforward decisions like restoring Kobbie Mainoo to the XI and pushing Bruno Fernandes further forward have paid immediate dividends on the pitch.
However, changes at training have also been made, with Carrick noticing something ‘straight away’ about things at Carrington which Amorim never did.
Head Coach Ruben Amorim of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on December 18, 2025
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim deserves ___ % credit for Michael Carrick’s BRILLIANT start at Man Utd
Fill in the blank. Did Amorim lay the foundation for success at Old Trafford?
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers split image
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers
Michael Carrick makes Man Utd training observation
Carrick had a thankless job when he walked through the doors of Old Trafford because his first two games were against the two best teams in England.
Winning both set him up for success, but for that to happen, he needed to generate immediate buy-in from a battered squad.
He inspired confidence in the players, and they repaid that faith with performances on the pitch.
More United News
The Man Utd manager has now said that he noticed “straight away” that the players wanted to do well for the club, the supporters, and for each other.
He said the body language was perfect from the off, and that made things easier for him.
He said: ” I have to say since we came in, and I said it straight away, I think that the squad, the mood, the attitude to want to do well for each other and actually want to do well for the club and the supporters, I could sense that straight away.”
Ruben Amorim needed to micromanage at Man Utd
Carrick’s statements above stand in stark contrast to what Amorim felt at the club, and he made no effort to hide it in public.
What position would Man Utd be in NOW if Ruben Amorim was still head coach?
Let's hear your views!!!
Getty Images
He repeatedly said that the standards in training were prone to slipping if he didn’t keep a keen eye on things, which spoke to a lack of initiative-taking.
It didn’t reflect well on the players at the time, but Carrick has proven that micromanaging everything all the time is often not the best ploy.
He has trusted the players to behave like adults and do the professional thing, and the players have lived up to those standards and even gone beyond them.
The players feel empowered instead of scrutinised, and at a club where the scrutiny from outside is intense on the most relaxed days, they could do without a glare inside as well.
Carrick understood that perfectly, and the effect of it is something he noticed right away, in stark contrast to Amorim’s stance.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox