Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Michael Carrick is keen not to overcomplicate something that his Manchester United predecessors have not executed properly since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
The 45-year-old Manchester United manager returns to the Old Trafford dugout on Wednesday evening for his side’s third-round Carabao Cup clash against Brighton.
The start of the Carabao Cup campaign comes at a point where Michael Carrick has overseen a mixed start to his first full season as the permanent Red Devils boss.
The Red Devils have won only once in their opening four Premier League matches and United’s other victory came in the Champions League against Sabah last week.
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Man United Predicted XI
Man United Predicted XI
Michael Carrick is preparing to mirror Sir Alex Ferguson with his Man Utd team pick for the Carabao Cup
Manchester United have not won the Carabao Cup since Erik ten Hag was in charge at Old Trafford and Michael Carrick won’t be playing down the significance of the cup. After all, Ruben Amorim was left red-faced last season after Man Utd were knocked out by Grimsby Town in only the second round of the competition.
Carrick is all too familiar with the Carabao Cup after lifting the trophy three times, including twice under Sir Alex Ferguson and once under Jose Mourinho. The League Cup can often see Premier League teams heavily rotate their squads and the same value is not placed on the competition as the FA Cup.
During his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, United legend Carrick was asked if he could adopt a Ferguson-esque approach by making ‘big changes’ to his team. It was suggested that Ferguson would roll the dice with his United teams for the Carabao Cup, even if his picks ended up backfiring.
“Yeah, definitely,” Carrick said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“Obviously, they are the decisions that we have to make. I think we obviously played in the Champions League and made changes during the week and we’ve changed a little bit as we’ve gone [along].”
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The Man Utd boss added: “So, yeah, that’s the decision. It’s important for us to win football matches and it’s important that we manage the squad as well and get everyone up and keep everyone up to speed, keep everyone ready, keep everyone part of it. But certainly we’re going into Wednesday trying to win the game.”
Carrick responded to a question where it had been suggested that Ferguson’s successors had overcomplicated the Scotsman’s approach to the Carabao Cup. However, the former Man Utd midfielder is aware of the pros and cons of heavy rotation for his United first-team squad picks for the competition.
While it is important to provide minutes to players who would not normally play, it can come with the risk of not winning a trophy if United do crash out early on.
However, Carrick feels much more meticulous with his team selections and the United manager is closely aligned with Ferguson’s approach at the Red Devils.
United’s encounter with Brighton at Old Trafford will kick off at 8pm UK time on Wednesday evening. All eyes will be on how Carrick navigates a really tricky test with the Seagulls, including striking the right balance that Ferguson showed with his squad selection.