Michael Carrick will have a lot on his plate during Man Utd’s 24-day break between their game against Bournemouth and their next game against Leeds.
Despite getting off to a flying start to life at Old Trafford, Michael Carrick won’t be naive enough to think that everything is rosy.
The results are good, but new dilemmas are cropping up, which need to be solved in the next 24 days, to ensure Man Utd finish the season in style.
Here is the to-do list for Carrick during one of the longest mid-season breaks a Man Utd manager has ever had in Premier League history.
Leny Yoro of Manchester United speaks to Ayden Heaven at the end of the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on December 8, 2025
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Michael Carrick celebrates after the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2026 in Liverpool, England.
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The Matthijs de Ligt mystery
Matthijs de Ligt’s injury has become the longest-running mystery of Man Utd’s season since his November injury.
What was once described as a minor issue has snowballed into an absence that has Carrick warning he might not play again this season.
De Ligt’s World Cup chances are already slim to zero, and there is real doubt as to whether he will even be the same player upon his return because back injuries are scary.
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Carrick needs to use these 24 days to work with his staff and get to the bottom of what’s gone wrong with the centre-back.
If he can get him on the pitch before the start of the season, the next pre-season will look much better for him. Otherwise, some ruthless calls will be needed.
Boot camp for Man Utd’s next Ferdinand-Vidic
Carrick was hit with a squad absence blow against Bournemouth when Harry Maguire was sent off.
Maguire has been Carrick’s soldier on the pitch, and with De Ligt also absent, the situation seems dire.
However, that’s only if you can’t look to the future, because their absences will allow Carrick to unleash the future of United’s defence.
If Carrick opts to ease Lisandro Martinez back into action, it could be the first time Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro start together, whose skill sets are reminiscent of peak Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Spending time with them on the training pitch before their debut makes this break come at a perfect time for United and the players themselves.
The rhythm and rust dilemma
Carrick has already warned about the perils of having extremely long breaks between games, as the players have to use competitive games to get their match fitness up.
It results in patchy first-half performances as they get up to speed, and that issue will be pronounced after this longest break.
International games will help the players who are called up, but he’ll need to schedule intense training for those who aren’t.
United can’t afford to look rusty and leggy at Old Trafford against a historic rival. Carrick needs to ensure United don’t get sucker punched in that game in the beginning.
Luke Shaw’s World Cup surge
Luke Shaw became the odd man out when the England squad was announced, as Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo fought their way back into the squad.
Are you confident Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven can handle Leeds with Harry Maguire suspended?
What did you think of Maguire's sending off vs Bournemouth?
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Shaw has become United’s iron man this season, but it came at a hidden cost of being less threatening and dynamic.
Thomas Tuchel clearly noticed that, which means Shaw has seven games to revive the fire that made him a flying full-back and surge into contention for the World Cup.
Like Heaven and Yoro, Shaw needs to treat these 24 days as a boot camp so the peak version returns to action on April 13th.
Pray for the internationals!
The last one is a bit funny but it’s true, because Carrick cannot afford any injuries to his squad ahead of a defining seven-game stretch.
A cursory glance at United’s bench makes it clear that this is not a very deep squad, so any injury to one of the first-XI players will be a crisis.
Carrick needs to hope and pray that there are no injuries, especially to the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, or Matheus Cunha, because they are irreplaceable.
The one-week break after the international games end will act as a nice buffer for recovery if nobody gets injured during the games.
It could be the difference between a sprint to the finish line and a limp to the finish line.
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