Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Michael Carrick is taking a lot of unnecessary flak at Man Utd after each dropped point, but his Harry Maguire-Lisandro Martinez decision deserves scrutiny.
It’s been clear since Michael Carrick became the Man Utd manager that, much like Solskjaer, he has some trusted players.
Two of those are Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez, the senior centre-backs who start if they are fit, regardless of form.
After watching the Everton game, it’s clear that Carrick is avoiding the inevitable with the pairing, and it’s far from ideal.
Everton v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Everton v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Michael Carrick not moving on from Maguire-Martinez
With all due respect for Maguire and Martinez, both of their contracts expire at the end of this season.
They are hardly what you would call “building blocks”, even though their own form has given no reason to be concerned as yet.
There are injury worries with Martinez, but Carrick almost blindly trusts him, and always brings him into the starting XI when he’s fit.
It sounds fine in a vacuum, since Carrick is paid to win games, and he naturally believes that playing experienced players leads to a better chance of winning.
However, United aren’t really winning regularly, and at the same time, the future of the club is being sacrificed at the altar of an underwhelming present.
The back four that started against Everton could have been pulled straight from Solskjaer’s time, and nobody would have batted an eye.
That would be excusable if Carrick had no better options, but in Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, he has two who can genuinely form the bedrock of this team’s defence for a decade.
Carrick delaying the inevitable makes it hard for Yoro-Heaven
The transition is bound to happen someday, but in a well-planned team, it happens when the seniors are still here to share the load.
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The right time to bed in Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven is when Maguire and Martinez are here, in case they need some games away from the spotlight.
Once they’re gone, the transition will happen out of necessity, making Yoro and Heaven lightning rods for criticism.
Carrick delaying the inevitable isn’t helping the young defensive duo. It’s putting them in a no-win situation, while the seniors aren’t really impressing either.
It doesn’t help anybody, and even for Carrick, his statements of backing the youth ring hollow when youngsters are the first to make way whenever seniors are available, regardless of form and fitness.