“The biggest difference is…”: Amorim’s key ally pinpoints exactly what Carrick has changed at Old Trafford

Manchester United have reaped the benefits of their decision to part ways with former head coach Ruben Amorim in January. The Red Devils appointed the Portuguese as Erik ten Hag’s replacement in November 2024. Amorim arrived at Old Trafford as one of the most exciting young managers in the world, having transformed Sporting’s fortunes during his four-year stay. However, the Portuguese head coach failed to implement his ideas at the Theatre of Dreams, and even a massive investment in the attack last summer failed to improve results. The Premier League giants finally lost their patience at the turn of the year and removed Amorim from the hot seat following a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road. Darren Fletcher was put in interim charge before Michael Carrick was appointed as the caretaker manager until the end of the season. United’s rise under Carrick When INEOS handed the keys of the first team to Carrick on a temporary basis, it was expected that the Englishman would steady the ship before a proven manager took charge permanently this summer. United were still recovering from Amorim’s turbulent 14-month stay, but Carrick’s arrival instantly improved the mood at the Theatre of Dreams. The Englishman started by securing a stunning 2-0 win over Manchester City at home and defeated Arsenal at the Emirates in the following game. Wins against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur followed, before the United bandwagon was briefly halted by West Ham United, who held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw. Carrick’s men, though, were back to winning ways against Everton and also picked up three points against Crystal Palace. However, earlier this month, Newcastle United inflicted the English manager’s first defeat since taking charge. Thankfully, United bounced back against Aston Villa over the weekend, securing a 3-1 win to bolster their chances of a top-four finish. Where United looked uncertain under Amorim, they have turned over a new leaf following Carrick’s arrival and now sit third in the league table after 30 games. Carrick’s team has scored 18 goals in his nine games in charge while conceding just nine. Michael Carrick Managerial Career Stats TeamFromToGames PlayedGames WonGames DrawnGames LostWin % Manchester United (caretaker)21 November 20212 December 2021321066.7 Middlesbrough24 October 20224 June 202513663244946.3 Manchester United13 January 2026Present971177.8 Total–14872265048.6 Source: Wikipedia. Diogo Dalot has now shed light on what has changed at Old Trafford since the Englishman’s arrival. Carrick has added to players’ confidence Speaking to DAZN Portugal, as cited by Sport Witness, Dalot insisted that Amorim and Carrick are quite similar in their approach on the pitch. He said: “If you analyse it closely, things are not that different from what we were doing with Ruben.” “If you look at the pieces of the game individually, you don’t see that many differences. The biggest difference is the profile of the player. Now we play with one less defender and one more attacking player.” However, Dalot acknowledged that the players’ mentality has changed since Carrick’s arrival, stating: “As I say many times, at the end of the day what really matters is the result. When confidence is high, with the quality of players we have, sometimes you don’t even need to say much and players go on the pitch and perform well.” Dalot was mostly deployed as a wing-back under Amorim and the player revealed that he enjoyed the experience of carrying out a more attacking role. He said: “When you play as a winger and receive the ball, you have options to go one-against-one, attack the line, play backwards or find the number ten.” However, he insists that he feels more comfortable as a full-back, adding: “It feels like going back to my origins. When I get those opportunities, I try to make the most of them because I know they will make me even more versatile.” Final Thoughts Initial signs suggest that United have vastly improved following the arrival of Carrick, so much so that he is already being tipped to get the full-time job. The Red Devils have another big decision on their hands next as they prepare to appoint Amorim’s permanent successor this summer. If the Englishman continues his good run until the end of the season, it will be very difficult for INEOS to look beyond him. Featured image by Michael Regan/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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.