Steve Holland has received a lot of plaudits for the defensive transformation at Man Utd since arriving under Michael Carrick, but the biggest coaching success story lies elsewhere.
As someone who spent years honing his craft at multiple clubs, including more than a decade at Chelsea under various managers, Steve Holland was always going to be a huge asset.
Michael Carrick has given Holland his flowers for transforming Man Utd’s defensive solidity, but the success of late is equally down to a change on the other end of the pitch.
As Benjamin Sesko continues to win points for United with his late goals, one name has started getting talked about more and more, and deservedly so.
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Travis Binnion arrives at Old Trafford
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Man Utd’s attacking coaching is led by Travis Binnion
Man Utd have returned to their habit of finishing games with a late salvo, which is as “DNA” as it gets for the Old Trafford club.
Sesko has been at the centre of most of those salvos, so it was interesting to hear him talk about the impact Travis Binnion has had on him.
Binnion was promoted from the U21s setup to assist Carrick with the first team this season, and his academy sides were famous for playing stylish attacking football.
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Binnion has brought the same pedigree to the senior team, and after Sesko’s praise, Carrick recently gave Binnion his flowers.
He said: “Trav [Travis Binnion] has done quite a bit of work with the forwards, sometimes as a unit, sometimes as a group, and individuals. It’s just constant, in trying to keep improving.
“It is not always easy to just flick a switch and perform, so there are so many different elements that we try and provide the support and help for and then trying to get improvement and push the players to be better and I think we have made some good gains over that period.”
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.
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Michael Carrick’s staff setup is hitting the sweet spot
Binnion joins an increasingly long list of Carrick’s staff members getting their flowers, which started with Holland.
Holland has been praised for his experience and game-management nous, called ‘magnificent’ by Harry Maguire when he had just arrived.
Since then, Jonny Evans’ work with set-pieces was brought up by Carrick, while Jonathan Woodgate’s multi-lingual skills are crucial in setting up communication with a diverse group of players.
Binnion is coaching the forwards, while Carrick is leading from the front, tying everything together, and carrying himself gracefully as the face of the operation.
That’s how any coaching staff should be, with perfect distribution of responsibilities, clarity of thought, and the ability to challenge each other for the holistic improvement of the side.
Ineos wouldn’t be wise if they broke a working combination after stumbling upon it.
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