The key to Carrick’s success – How Man Utd’s new signings have transformed their season

Unbeaten in 7 

Manchester United continued their incredible run of form under interim head coach Michael Carrick with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday. The victory over Oliver Glasner’s struggling side now means that the Red Devils have won six, drawn one and suffered no defeats in Carrick’s first seven games in charge of the club. Not only does the former midfielder boast an outrageous average of 2.71 points per game as Man Utd manager, but it also means that Man Utd have won three more points than any other Premier League side since Carrick took over from Rúben Amorim. So what’s behind this remarkable uptick in form?

There’s little doubt that Carrick has made some notable changes to the team that Amorim struggled to get performances out of. Perhaps the most notable change is the former England international reverting back to a four-man defence, or perhaps reintroducing dynamic midfield Kobbie Mainoo alongside Casemiro. But there’s little doubt that Carrick has also benefited from a number of Man Utd’s new signings coming to the fore and standing out as key performers. No less than four new signings were in the Man Utd starting XI that beat Palace on Sunday, and little can be said about the club’s rise up the league table without mentioning their performances for their new club.

For example, between the posts the club have thrown off the concerns of inconsistent shot-stoppers from yesteryear with the signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for €21m. The 23-year-old talent has quickly become the first name on Carrick’s teamsheet, and while many assumed that he would be a prospect that would need time ot adapt to the English top-flight, Lammens has instead embedded in with exceptional speed. According to Opta, the Belgian talent has prevented 5.2 goals for Man Utd this season, which is the highest rate for any shot-stopper in the Premier League, and there’s every reason to believe that he’ll get even better in the years to come. Here, we can clearly see that the decision to send André Onana out on loan and replace him with Lammers has worked wonders for Man Utd.

However, the biggest difference in Man Utd’s form has undoubtedly come in attack. Antony and Alejandro Garnacho were sold, while Rasmus Højlund, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were sent packing on loan spells. In their place, the Old Trafford club spent big on three attacking signings: Matheus Cunha (€74.2m from Wolves), Bryan Mbeumo (€75m from Brentford) and Benjamin Sesko (€76.5m from RB Leipzig). And while not all three signings hit the ground running, they’re undoubtedly working well in the second half of the season to win games for Carrick’s side.

For example, since Carrick arrived at Old Trafford, Cunha’s goals and assists per 90 in the league have increased from 0.32 to 0.82, Mbeumo’s have increased from 0.50 to 0.79 and, perhaps most notably, Sesko’s have improved by 869% from 0.26 under Amorim to now averaging an incredible 2.52 per 90 under Carrick. Obviously, those numbers are bound to level out with more games under Carrick – particularly Sesko’s due to him largely playing as an impact sub under the interim head coach – but there’s little doubt that each of these players is currently thriving for Man Utd.

While it remains to be seen whether Carrick will do enough to be offered the job permanently in the summer, there’s little doubt that he has achieved something that few Man Utd managers have managed in recent years by getting the very best out of new signings. The Old Trafford club have spent untold fortunes on players over the past 10 years to very little success. But if the former midfielder has found a way to overcome that notable hurdle, then he may continue to be a breath of fresh air in the dugout and perhaps the perfect man for the job in the long term.