When Michael Carrick takes his Man Utd side to face Everton, he will do so knowing that it will be in Ruben Amorim’s ideal conditions.
Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd spell crashed and burned out of nowhere, but there was one thing he kept insisting on.
After every dropped point, especially during the 2024/25 season, he kept stressing that he knows how to get the team to do better.
The key was having a longer gap between games, something which he didn’t have back then, but Michael Carrick can prove against Everton that he’s different.
Prove me wrong: Michael Carrick has already shown enough to become permanent Man United manager.
13 points from 15 would be title winning form over a full season…
Michael Carrick applauds after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim failed to convince with big breaks as well
Amorim was glad for the pre-season, was backed heavily in the transfer market, and had plenty of time on the training pitch this season.
It was everything he wanted coming into the season, and while it wasn’t as bad as last year, it was frankly hard to be as bad anyway.
Despite longer breaks between games, courtesy of not being able to beat Grimsby in the Carabao Cup, Amorim’s United rarely looked like they knew what they were doing on a matchday.
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The same problems remained against the low-block, the defensive fragility in its lack of structure, and a mental fragility of collapsing in the face of adversity.
Amorim’s justification was exposed as another lie, since no amount of time spent on the training ground could fix those issues.
As Carrick gets 12 days between West Ham and Everton, he can set himself apart.
Michael Carrick’s test to set himself apart
The noise for Carrick to get the job permanently is already high, and he can ramp it up further by showing what he’s worked on in the last 12 days.
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
To his immense credit, what he worked on for just three days blitzed Man City into submission at Old Trafford, so the fans are excited about what he can do with this team in 12 days.
Everton’s poor home record is cause for cautious optimism, as is the case for revenge, as a ten-man Everton side made Amorim look defeated and clueless at Old Trafford in a 0-1 loss.
Everton’s tactical issues are well-documented, and the key battles in this game all favour Carrick’s side.
If he can mastermind a convincing victory against David Moyes, who has become somewhat of a boogeyman for United, it will be a big feather in his cap.
He just needs to show how much work can be done in 12 free days between games.
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