Michael Carrick is unbeaten from his first six matches since returning to Manchester United with the Reds moving back into the Champions League places
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has made quite the impact since returning to Old Trafford(Image: Getty Images)
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Michael Carrick is getting an 'unwritten return' from his Manchester United players after doing something previous managers, such as Louis van Gaal and Erik ten Hag, were reluctant to do.
Ex-United midfielder Carrick has made quite the impact since replacing Ruben Amorim as United's head coach until the end of the season. The 44-year-old returned to Old Trafford in mid-January and has won five out of his first six matches, picking up 16 points from a possible 18 in the Premier League.
It's a run that has seen the Reds move up to fourth in the table, three points behind third-place Aston Villa and now in a strong position to secure Champions League qualification.
And since his return to United, Carrick has made a number of changes. On the pitch, he has restructured Amorim's rigid 3-4-3 formation and restored Kobbie Mainoo to the starting line-up.
Off the pitch, Carrick has made the decision to speak to his players post-match, something Amorim not often did. Even if he saves the detailed analysis for days after the match, Carrick has opted to make a concerted effort with his United charges in the dressing room, with some feedback delivered individually.
As well as that, Carrick has scrapped Erik ten Hag and Amorim's policy of requiring the United players to train the day following matches. Carrick has instead approved designated rest days within 24 hours of a fixture, with recovery sessions rescheduled to take place two days after the final whistle instead.
The move has been well-received by the squad, who have enjoyed being able to briefly savour a good win before getting back down to business with an added sense of purpose, according to The Telegraph.
Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United, acknowledges the fans following the teams victory in the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United
Michael Carrick has made quite the impression since returning to Manchester United(Image: Getty)
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It's added that a lack of empathy has been a common complaint about past United managers, from Van Gaal through to Ten Hag. But it's one of several examples from Carrick's compassion and understanding that has helped - alongside the other changes - him get a tune out of the United squad.
One source said: "The players look at it and go: 'He cares about my life,'" one source said. "And you just know automatically you get an unwritten return on that."
United are aiming to strengthen their pursuit of a Champions League spot when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. The Reds will move up to third and above Villa with a win against the Eagles at Old Trafford.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Carrick said: "I think we're in a good place. In some ways, we've made big strides, winning games that we might not have won at other times, played some good football at times, things to improve at times, defending really, really well a lot of the time, and keeping clean sheets.
"So there's lots of positives. Certainly, there’s so many layers of levels that we feel we can get to as a group. So we'll just keep pushing for that."
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