“I can’t wait”: Champions League winner excited to play under Carrick as transfer rumours put to bed

Manchester United’s last-gasp 3-2 win against Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday was their third successive victory under Michael Carrick. The caretaker head coach seems to have brought back the United DNA of old, and the way Benjamin Sesko scored a Fergie time winner will have pleased every fan out there. The never-say-die attitude, a hallmark of the great United teams of old under Sir Alex Ferguson, has seen the Red Devils clinch wins against league leaders Arsenal, noisy neighbours, Manchester City, and now, the Cottagers. Players know that if not a part of the starting XI, they still have a chance to make an impact off the bench, as Matheus Cunha and Sesko have shown. Joshua Zirkzee excited to play under Carrick Naturally, plenty of players are excited about playing under the legendary midfielder, with Joshua Zirkzee being one of them as per the club website. “Yeah, I can’t wait. Especially after, you know, seeing the game against City, seeing the guys play the way they did, it just makes you want to be on the pitch and just help the team. “So I’m looking very forward to being back with the guys.” The Dutchman, who rarely started under former head coach Ruben Amorim, has been linked with an exit in the January window. Injury troubles behind him Juventus, AS Roma are among his suitors, but Carrick had blocked his exit. And these comments surely all but confirm he is not leaving on deadline day. The 24-year-old did not make the matchday squad for both the derby win and against the Gunners due to an injury. It was frustrating for the former Champions League winner considering it was a glorious opportunity to catch the new head coach’s eye. “I’m feeling good. It’s always frustrating [to get injured] but it is what it is and you can’t change anything about it. So you just have to keep moving forward and that is what I am doing now.” Impressed with Carrick’s style of play The Netherlands international made the squad for the Fulham game, and saw first-hand how much things have changed under Carrick. Working together, both with and without the ball, United look a different team as compared to the Amorim era. Joshua Zirkzee revealed as much, citing the hard work put in by his teammates in the Manchester derby to prove his point. “I enjoyed the performance a lot. I’m sure I’m not the only one. It was the small moments. I don’t know, we just looked very hungry. Now for his minutes under Carrick “Attacking, defending, everything was just there for us. We just gave what we were expected to give on derby day, so it was just fun to watch.” The former Bologna ace will be hoping to feature against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, at least as a substitute, if not from the start. Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25