Michael Carrick has yet to taste defeat since taking over as Manchester United's interim manager
Michael Carrick taking a Manchester United training session
Roy Keane visited the Manchester United training ground during Michael Carrick's last spell at the club(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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The impact made by Michael Carrick at Manchester United has already been plain to see. However, it's a far cry from the situation faced by the club in 2019 when former captain Roy Keane made a secret visit.
Back then, Keane's one-time team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in the dugout. The Norwegian oversaw a sharp uptick in results after replacing Jose Mourinho midway through the 2018/19 season but recent reports suggest Carrick has done far more to bring more positivity to Old Trafford.
"As you’d imagine, Roy has strong views on what it takes to be a proper United player, and he gave it to them straight," a source told Mirror Football at the time. "He wasn’t impressed with one player who didn’t seem to be all that interested and looked as if he’d rather be somewhere else. But for the majority, it was a fascinating snapshot into the hunger and desire that drove Roy during his time at the club."
These days, though, the situation couldn't be further from the one which left Keane so frustrated. Carrick has changed things on the pitch, moving away from Ruben Amorim's three-at-the-back approach, though the bigger changes have come elsewhere.
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According to The Telegraph, one of the major changes made by Carrick is the introduction of shorter but more intense training sessions. These, the paper reports, have left some blown away by the impact.
Carrick has also shown a willingness to install experienced coaches who aren't afraid to question him. While Keane hasn't been brought on board - despite some calls for him to return to Old Trafford - the likes of Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate are regarded as more willing to challenge the boss than Amorim's inexperienced coaches were with the Portuguese manager.
"I can’t be right the whole time – it’s impossible. That’s why we’ve got a group of six in our office," Carrick told the BBC. "We’ve all got strong opinions, but we all filter it and it’s important we have a connection and understanding of what direction we want to go in."
Roy Keane in 2019
Roy Keane saw a very different Manchester United in 2019(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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On top of this, team meetings are said to - for the most part, at least - last no longer than 15 minutes. With various elements of the players' day-to-day work taking less time, they can be done by 12.30pm, another area in which Carrick has seemingly won new fans.
It remains to be seen whether the approach can continue to bear fruit next season if Carrick gets the job permanently and United have the addition of European football but the intensity appears to be doing the business for a team looking to impress during their one game every week. Certainly it looks as though a great deal has changed since Keane's visit some seven years ago.