“They had a plan”: Wayne Rooney names four United stars vital to Carrick’s success

Manchester United have enjoyed a spectacular turnaround in fortune following Michael Carrick’s arrival as Ruben Amorim’s replacement at the Theatre of Dreams. The Red Devils parted ways with the Portuguese head coach after the 1-1 draw against Leeds United at the start of this year. After Darren Fletcher’s two-game interim spell, Carrick took charge at Old Trafford as caretaker manager until the end of the season. The Englishman managed to galvanise a squad that had been reeling from Amorim’s stormy 14-month reign. In his first game, he outfoxed Pep Guardiola, inspiring United to a 2-0 home win over Manchester City. Carrick followed that up with a spectacular 3-2 win over league leaders Arsenal on their backyard, helping the Red Devils climb to fourth in the Premier League table. Last weekend, the Englishman made it three wins in as many games in charge after picking up three hard-fought points against Fulham at Old Trafford, courtesy of a 3-2 win. Optimism running high at Old Trafford Amorim’s departure marked the end of the disastrous 3-4-3 system that the Portuguese attempted to implement at Old Trafford without success. Fletcher immediately switched to a back four but failed to win either of his two games in charge. Carrick, meanwhile, retained the back four in his preferred 4-2-3-1 system which allowed United to utilise their attacking prowess to the fullest. Indeed, the Red Devils have scored eight goals in the last three games, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Patrick Dorgu and Benjamin Sesko running riot ahead of a magnificent Bruno Fernandes operating in the No. 10 role. Player Stats under Michael Carrick Sl No.Player NameGoalsAssists 1Bryan Mbeumo20 2Patrick Dorgu20 3Matheus Cunha21 4Benjamin Sesko10 5Bruno Fernandes04 6Casemiro11 7Kobbie Mainoo01 The Portuguese Magnifico has now registered 12 assists in the Premier League and is on course to win the Premier League Playmaker of the Year award for the first time since joining United. The Red Devils skipper remains indispensable for Carrick, but club legend Wayne Rooney believes there are four other players just as important to his countryman’s cause at the moment. Carrick’s indispensable quartet Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, United’s record goalscorer insisted that the backbone of Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez has worked wonders for Carrick. He said: “[They] looked like they had a plan and I think the same, I thought Amad was brilliant again today. I think he’s the biggest threat for United today and [Diogo] Dalot as well. I think Dalot’s had a lot of stick, but I thought he was good today.” “But I think the main changes for Man United [are] having Harry Maguire and Martinez and Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in front of him. Obviously, we can talk about Bruno. He’s Man United’s best player. But I think having, you know, that box of them four has been crucial for Man United.” “And the biggest compliment I can give to him is when following that I felt like Man United were going to go and get the winner and again, Bruno with a bit of magic from him and a great finish from [Benjamin] Sesko.” Final Thoughts Mainoo, Casemiro, Maguire and Martinez have started all three games under Carrick so far, with everyone apart from the Brazilian playing the entire 90 minutes in every game. If all four remain injury-free for the rest of the campaign, United will have a great chance of securing a top-four finish this season. Featured image Justin Setterfield 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 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.