Michael Carrick was not getting carried away, but after returning some of the missing magic to Manchester United in an exhilarating 2-0 derby win over Manchester City on Saturday, those who doubt he is the club’s saviour might be reconsidering.
The former midfielder’s second stint as interim manager could not have begun any better, as goals by Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu sparked euphoric celebrations at Old Trafford.
It was not just the final score; it was the performance that spoke volumes about the impact Carrick has had in just a few days.
This was a mauling. City were a distant second-best, and but for three disallowed goals, the woodwork and some heroics by their keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, they would have suffered the worst defeat against their rivals since 1995.
“The fans have been starved of that over the past few years. I know it’s only one performance, but I think everyone could see how exciting that team can be,” Wayne Rooney, United’s record goalscorer and former teammate of Carrick, told Sky Sports.
“You hear everyone, especially us as ex-players, talk about the United DNA, and that has just shown what it is.”
Carrick, who was undefeated in his three games as caretaker manager in 2021, answered the call again after the sacking of Ruben Amorim this month and will have until the end of the season to build a case for the permanent post.
If Saturday’s display, full of attacking verve, defensive tenacity and energy, is anything to go by, the club’s owners will surely have an easy decision to make.
There have been false dawns aplenty in recent seasons, though, and Carrick, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League at United as a cultured midfielder during the trophy-laden era of Alex Ferguson, knows this is just a start.
“I don’t want to get carried away with all that DNA kind of thing; I think we wanted to play well today [Saturday],” the former Middlesbrough manager said. “We wanted to put things into the game that we felt would help us do that.
“We felt we had a threat when we had the ball on transition at times, but, actually, when we did have the ball, I thought we looked dangerous. All round, we couldn’t ask for any more. The boys give absolutely everything in so many ways.”
Carrick made five changes to his first line-up from the side that lost to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend in the FA Cup third round, with Amad Diallo and Mbeumo returning from the Africa Cup of Nations and defender Harry Maguire also back.
Significantly, he also gave a first league start of the season to England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
“They took everything on board tactically, and then emotionally, we were able to deal with it, exactly what we hoped for,” Carrick said. “I said yesterday [Friday], it’s a magic place, and it certainly was today, and we all felt that.”
Carrick will get another opportunity to stake his claim this coming weekend when United take on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Reuters
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