Michael Carrick’s first match back as head coach of Manchester United sees his side clash with Manchester City at Old Trafford, roughly 14 months after Ruben Amorim’s bow
Michael Carrick sent a message to Ruben Amorim before his first Manchester United game which rings true now as the 44-year-old prepares to take on Manchester City. Amorim was sacked earlier this month after just over a year in charge.
A changing of the guard has occurred at Old Trafford, with Amorim dispensed with and former player Carrick brought in once again to steer the ship until the season’s end. A new long-term solution is the target come the summer.
The Englishman has been at the helm of the 13-time Premier League winners before, as he took over following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In this brief three-game spell five years ago, he mustered two wins and a draw, including a memorable 3-2 triumph over Arsenal.
Carrick will be hoping that his first game this time around will be equally as unforgettable as he aims to add the feather of rivals City to his cap. And a message he once sent to the absent Amorim provides an insight into how the 44-year-old may be feeling.
Back in November 2024, when Amorim was preparing to take to the dugout for the first time as United manager against Ipswich Town, Carrick sent the Portuguese boss a message.
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He said: “It’s obviously a big challenge, incredible football club with huge expectations. It’s where you want to be in terms of testing yourself against the best and he’s there so I hope he does well.
“I’m obviously a supporter and my family are. We love the club so I really hope it works out. There are good players there, good people in the club, so hopefully he goes there and settles in really quickly.”
These huge expectations are now shouldered by Carrick himself and in regard to a big challenge, there is seldom a bigger one than taking on the managerial mastermind that is Pep Guardiola.
Amorim drew his first match against Ipswich 1-1. As Carrick takes over from Amorim and prepares to face City, he sees this as an opportunity for the squad to start afresh.
“This is a fresh start,” said Carrick. “I’ve got a lot of belief in the group, individually and collectively. I’ve got a lot of belief in that and confidence and a feeling. Things can go in a different direction very quickly and I’ve got a lot of belief in the boys.
“I’m not going to tell you everything about how we’re going to do it because I’d be a bit silly to do that, but I think tactically and as a team, what we want to look like and things that we feel can help us will be hugely positive.
“I think it’s so half-full, half-empty. What players can’t do, or the team can’t do, we actually forget what they can do, what they’re good at and believe in that and work on their strengths and feed off that energy to make you better.
“There’s a lot of players and a lot of teams in the world that can’t do things, but that doesn’t stop them being successful. So, we need to find that ingredient, and I fully believe we can do that.”
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