Man Utd play Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday as Michael Carrick looks to secure back-to-back wins.
Michael Carrick must make three changes vs Aston Villa.(Image: 2026 UEFA)
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Michael Carrick can secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season against Aston Villa this weekend.
Manchester United have suffered a torrid campaign so far, making their worst start to a season for 40 years, but Tuesday's comeback win against Roma in the Champions League will provide some much-needed confidence.
Villa will be tough opponents, but they are winless in their last three matches, drawing with Fulham and losing to Barcelona and Bournemouth, suffering heavy 3-0 defeats in those games.
United need to build on the Roma victory to give Carrick a chance of transforming the club's fortunes. The United boss has been under immense pressure, and the November international break will be a chance for decision-makers to make a change if they feel that's the right choice after Villa.
Carrick believes he can turn it around, but he must make three changes on Sunday to go into the international break with a win...
Give Lacey a start
Shea Lacey has been underused since his brilliant goal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in September. He opened the scoring in that game, but his moment was overshadowed by United chucking a 2-0 lead away.
The youngster was given five minutes against Como and 12 minutes against Bournemouth when both of those games were already dead, so it was reassuring to see Carrick send him on against Roma when United were chasing a way back into the contest.
Lacey should be given his first Premier League start following that appearance. Amad is not delivering enough in the final third - his last goal for the club was in December 2025 - so it's time to give him a crack.
The 19-year-old gets fans on the edge of their seats, and it was telling that he received a huge roar when he came on against Bournemouth and Roma.
Carrick with Lacey after the Roma game.
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Change the defence
Carrick will stick with the same defensive line against Villa this weekend, but he should tweak the players' positions, as he is not getting the best out of the options at his disposal.
Leny Yoro has played at right-back, with Diogo Dalot on the opposite side, meaning Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven have started in the centre, but that selection caused issues against Bournemouth and Roma.
Yoro is not a natural right-back and made a costly mistake in an area he wouldn't usually be in against Bournemouth, slipping as he attempted to turn, while Dalot's performance against Roma reiterated that he is more comfortable on the right, his favoured position.
The best choice for the back four would be: Heaven at left-back, Maguire and Yoro in the middle and Dalot at right-back.
Leny Yoro
Yoro has played at right-back.
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Scrap the full-back tactic
United fans were bemused to see Dalot pushing so high against Roma. Their bemusement was vindicated when Roma scored twice down that side, but Dalot confirmed that it was an instruction from Carrick.
He spoke to reporters after the full-time whistle and was asked about his position. "Yes, obviously," he said when asked if he'd been told to push high.
"We knew that they were going to play man-to-man, but that requires some things that we need to avoid, especially losing balls in the middle, because we knew that we're going to be too open.
"But after, obviously, after the second goal, we tried to fix it straight away. I think we balanced a little bit more the game and kept ourselves in the game, and I think second half we came right at it and won the game."
Carrick scrapped the tactic after the second goal, but he "balanced" the issue by asking Yoro to push up high on the opposite side, which saw Roma find the same pockets of space on his side.
The United boss needs to scrap the tactic. It leaves far too much space for the opponent to attack, and it's a plan that will only work in a team that is possession-dominant, which United are not at this stage.
Dalot pushed high against Roma.(Image: Amazon Prime)
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