Manchester United players have had to contend with different ideas and rules being implemented at the club
Manchester United's English Interim head coach Michael Carrick gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City
Michael Carrick's impact at Manchester United has already been felt by his squad(Image: (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images))
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Manchester United's squad have been forced to adapt to numerous fresh rules over recent years. Michael Carrick is the latest figure to take the reins at Old Trafford – and similar to his predecessors – he's implemented a new set of standards at the club.
The United icon introduced one modification following his return to Old Trafford after Ruben Amorim's departure following 14 months at the helm. It was following last week's derby triumph over Manchester City that the Daily Mail revealed Carrick has made training sessions at Carrington briefer whilst boosting their intensity to enhance United's performances.
The 44-year-old's choice to modify the training regime is believed to have received a favourable response from the squad. Alongside this alteration, training sessions have also featured greater emphasis on individual work with the first-team players.
Like his predecessor, Amorim also tried to leave his mark on the club through three fundamental principles he established during his time at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old initially prohibited players from using international breaks as chances to take holidays after the backlash Marcus Rashford and Casemiro faced for travelling to the United States last year.
Amorim also chose to prohibit food in the changing room on match days and barred his coaching team from providing players with complex tactical guidance. The Portuguese manager stated that if he couldn't communicate a strategic concept in a single sentence, it shouldn't be passed on to his squad until it could be made simpler.
Renowned for his thorough methodology, it was Erik ten Hag who established five fundamental regulations for his team to observe. The Dutchman, who was dismissed by United in October 2024, declared he would omit any player who arrived late for training sessions or team gatherings.
It was this regulation that Rashford violated in late December 2022 after the England international acknowledged he was relegated to the substitutes' bench in a fixture against Wolves because he overslept and missed a team meeting.
Ruben Amorim gives Bruno Fernandes instructions
Ruben Amorim had three key principles he instructed his players and staff to abide by(Image: Getty Images)
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Ten Hag also notified his players that no alcoholic beverages should be consumed during match weeks, whilst insisting the same chefs prepare his squad's meals, rather than personal catering personnel employed by players to do so.
Additional requirements regarding his squad's physical condition meant each player received a bespoke nutrition programme whilst having their Body Mass Index (BMI) monitored monthly to guarantee they maintained optimal fitness.
Erik ten Hag walking
Erik ten Hag was known for his meticulous approach to coaching(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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To ensure disruption remained minimal concerning internal matters, Ten Hag directed his players to approach him directly if they encountered problems, rather than consulting their representatives.
With United travelling to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, it presents an ideal chance for Carrick's team to showcase once more the influence the ex-midfielder has wielded in revitalising them.
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