Flashback to the European Championship final in 2024 when Spain narrowly overcame England. Declan Rice started alongside a certain prodigy, Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo.
The former England colleagues may lock horns in the middle of the park at the Emirates on Sunday as Mainoo is expected to earn a second-straight start, which seemed beyond the realms of possibility when Ruben Amorim was at the helm.
The homegrown 20-year-old started his first league match of the season in the electric 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford.
A key component to Mainoo’s return is the appointment of Steve Holland as Carrick’s assistant, someone who worked closely with the midfielder for the national team.
Carrick also reinforced his early relationship with Mainoo during the development stages of his coaching journey, and stressed the importance of players who have been through the United youth system.
"I’ve really enjoyed working with Kobbie, I think I’ve known him since he was younger. I think I started working with him when he was 13, 14 years old, when I was going through my badges myself.
"I’ve said it before: this club needs young players coming through and being the foundation, to understand what it means not just for the players or the squad, but for the club and for the supporters. It’s something we need to grasp and keep building on and Kobbie is a prime example, coming through so quickly and having a rapid rise.
"To play in some unbelievably big games and impact those games at such a young age shows an awful lot of quality, in terms of the character and to be able to handle it.
Carrick added, "Part of a career is a few ups and downs and sometimes it goes in different trajectories but we’ve seen last week what Kobbie can bring. It was great. He’s quite straight-faced and he doesn’t give you an awful lot but you can see the way he played, he expressed himself, he was enjoying himself. To see him like that was great."
A polar opposite to Mainoo’s signs of prolonged stability at United is Casemiro’s exit at the end of the season, something the Brazilian revealed in the past week.
After spending four seasons at the club, the 33-year-old will be hoping to end his United career on a high note and help the club qualify for the Champions League.
The experience and youthfulness of Casemiro and Mainoo respectively could make for a formidable duo for the remainder of the season, and allow those ahead of them the license to attack with more freedom, especially when transitioning against Arsenal.
"I think the announcement for Case was for clarity as much as anything, it was kind of decided anyway before I arrived, so it’s not just a knee-jerk decision. But the type of personality, the character that he is, I think it shows you, the performance last week, where he is mentally and how much it means for him to be here and finish the season strong.
"I’ve already had that conversation with him and he’s desperate to do well and finish well, and it’s good to see, so I’ve got no doubts about him at all."