Michael Carrick only arrived at **Carrington**three weeks ago for his second stint at the club, yet he already has Man United looking like a completely different side.
With a system refresh and some fresh training methods, Carrick is on course to match United's best run of form for almost two years. But who are the players that have shone so far under the former Red Devils midfielder?
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo was always going to thrive under a new manager.
Being almost pushed out the club by Ruben Amorim, Mainoo failed to start a single Premier League game until Carrick arrived, having played under 250 minutes. He was even linked to a loan move away to try and get back into the **England**setup throughout the January period.
Yet, in the last three games, the twenty-year-old has played the full 90 minutes and covered more ground than any other player on the pitch on all three occasions.
In the last game against Fulham, which many saw as the first true test for Carrick, Mainoo played 11 progressive passes into the final third, showing all of United’s play went straight through the England international.
His first league start of the season coming against bitter city rivals Man City proves how impressed Carrick and his coaching staff are with the academy graduate, and he repaid that faith, playing a pivotal role in the derby day win.
Picking up an assist for the winner against Arsenal, Mainoo has slotted back into the Red Devils’ midfield like he never left, and points even more questions towards why he was ever dropped in the first place. In a World Cup year, no other United player will be more thankful for Carrick’s system change than Kobbie Mainoo.
Bruno Fernandes
Despite still remaining as United’s best player, it’s fair to say Bruno Fernandes is back to his upmost best since Carrick’s appointment.
Moving back into the number 10 role, where he has thrived since he arrived at Old Trafford six years ago, the Portuguese international was clearly being underutilised in a deeper role under Amorim and is back firing under Carrick.
With four assists in his last three games, Fernandes is eyeing the Premier League assists record in what is his best season in England in terms of assists since the 2020-21 season. Two assists in the last game against Fulham, as well as a 83% passing accuracy and four chances created, the most of any player, meant Fernandes was just pipped to the man of the match award by Casemiro.
United’s skipper is back in the center of everything, and is back to dictating play further up the pitch. In a deeper role, the 31-year-old was not only a liability defensively but also struggled to perform at his previous standard with two number tens in front of him. Having at least one assist in his last five games, it’s fair to say Fernandes prefers to play as a sole number 10 than as a part of a midfield duo.
Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire is back from injury and back with a bang. Three straight starts under Carrick, the England international looks much more comfortable in a centre back pairing than as three.
His strongest position under Amorim would have been at the centre of the three, and with Mathijs de Ligt holding that position down for most of the first half of the season, there seemed to not be much of a way back into the eleven for Maguire.
With a mixture of de Ligt picking up an injury and Maguire cementing a strong partnership with Lisandro Martinez, the former Red Devils captain looks like one of the best centre backs in the league as of late. The last game against Fulham was a standout, as Maguire had more tackles and won more duals than any other player on the pitch, despite giving away a penalty in the dying minutes.
A superb performance back from injury keeping a clean sheet against Man City in what was his first start since November, United really missed the defensive solidity of the 32-year-old in his time out injured.
Bryan Mbeumo
Bryan Mbeumo has taken his game to the next level after returning from the African Cup of Nations with Carrick choosing to move the Cameroonian to centre forward.
Under Amorim, Mbeumo was facilitated as one of the wide number 10's and, despite scoring six goals in 16 league games, seems much more suited to the number nine position.
Scoring a well-taken goal against Man City on his first game back from Morocco, Mbeumo got into better positions compared to his performance against Bournemouth before the AFCON. With 0.8xG from his three shots in the box, two of which being marked as big chances, the 26-year-old's clinical finishing seems to be better suited up top.
He scored again against Arsenal, albeit from a much smaller xG, from a position Mbeumo would likely not have been in if he was at the number 10 or out wide. The former Brentford man was subbed off at the 70 minute mark on both of those occasions, and played the full 90 against Fulham, looking the most dangerous despite not scoring. Creating two chances, having five touches in the opposition's box and one big chance, Mbeumo was unlucky to not grab a goal contribution last weekend.
Carrick has given Mbeumo a different role and he is thriving in it, keeping Benjamin Sesko out of the team for the foreseeable future.
Patrick Dorgu
Carrick has shown faith in Dorgu in the left wing role and that has shown. Two goals in the two games he played before his injury, Dorgu is now a Player of the Month nominee. See more about how the Dane has changed his game here.