Manchester United and England icon Wayne Rooney has questioned a key decision that Michael Carrick made for the Premier League clash against West Ham.
West Ham hosted Manchester United at the London Stadium for the Red Devils’ most recent Premier League outing under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
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Michael Carrick took 13 points from his first five…
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Carrick oversaw four consecutive Premier League wins since his return to Old Trafford before United’s momentum took a hit at the hands of West Ham.
West Ham broke the deadlock against Man Utd early in the second half in last Tuesday’s Premier League clash, with Tomas Soucek opening the scoring.
United fought back at the London Stadium and the Red Devils avoided a shock defeat after Benjamin Sesko scored a stunning injury-time equaliser.
READ MORE: ‘We stay’ after training: Matheus Cunha names Bruno Fernandes and three Man Utd stars driving his goalscoring form
Michael Carrick looks on prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the London Stadium in 2026 in London, England.
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Wayne Rooney picks out what Michael Carrick did wrong for Man Utd in the 1-1 draw against West Ham
Michael Carrick changed up his tactics for the West Ham match, which came only days after Manchester United’s 2-0 win over 10-man Tottenham at Old Trafford.
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The United legend has relied on Bryan Mbeumo to start matches up front, but Carrick instead shifted him to the right side of the attacking set-up against West Ham.
Bryan Mbeumo’s position change meant that Matheus Cunha started the match against West Ham in a central role, with Bruno Fernandes playing as the No 10.
What did Michael Carrick get right with his game management vs West Ham?
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Speaking on his podcast, Wayne Rooney believes that Carrick’s approach to Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo might have had a knock-on effect for Man Utd’s early momentum.
“I think he made a big call, Michael, in Mbeumo and Cunha, changing them two around,” he said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I think that may have affected the way they play because Mbeumo is one who is running behind and Cunha coming in off the side has been better or playing as a [No] 10 times.
“So, I think that little change may have put United on the back foot a little bit, but [they] done well to come back in the end.”
READ MORE: Benjamin Sesko breaks down two position changes he underwent before Man Utd star transitioned into striker
Michael Carrick changed up his tactics again in the second half after Benjamin Sesko came on for Man Utd
Carrick’s experiment with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha came to an end in the second half, mainly due to Benjamin Sesko’s introduction into the attacking set-up.
Cunha was subbed off in the 69th minute and Sesko took to the pitch at the London Stadium, with the United ace rescuing Carrick from his first defeat as interim boss.
Benjamin Sesko is averaging a goal every 48 minutes over his last six appearances
Should Sesko be starting more games for United?
Benjamin Sesko stat graphic
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Carrick’s approach to Mbeumo as his preferred lone forward pick has seen Slovenian forward Sesko drop to the bench from the Man Utd starting XI in recent weeks.
But Sesko has been an important choice from the bench for Carrick, which the 22-year-old striker showed with his winner for Man Utd against Fulham earlier this month.
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