The Michael Carrick era at Manchester United officially begins on Saturday in the early kick off as Old Trafford prepares for a Manchester derby.
Ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola has praised Michael Carrick, setting the tone for a game in which Manchester United enter as considerable underdogs.
Given recent form and Carrick only starting training on Wednesday, Old Trafford won’t be a confident place this weekend.
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City are in a title race and added dangerous forward Antoine Semenyo to their ranks recently, making a devastating attack alongside Erling Haaland.
So for this seemingly impossible task, who will Carrick decide to name in his starting line-up.
What ONE WORD describes your feelings ahead of the Manchester Derby this weekend?
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How Manchester United could line-up to take on Manchester City
United could relaunch a top four push with victory against City, and Carrick will be desperate to avoid defeat in his maiden game.
The major boost for Carrick is that Amad and Bryan Mbeumo have both returned.
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Here is how we envision United setting up vs City.
Senne Lammens: The managerial change won’t mean much for Lammens in goal as the Belgian is the clear first-choice goalkeeper.
Lammens has proved people wrong, and in his first Manchester derby he will be desperate to give a good account of himself.
Diogo Dalot: While Noussair Mazraoui is likely to be Carrick’s first choice on the right, he is set for the AFCON final this weekend and so it will be Dalot.
After a string of bad performances, Dalot needs to improve and quickly.
Harry Maguire: While Maguire hasn’t started a game since November 8th against Tottenham, we think he is likely to be key here.
Maguire has hailed Carrick already and the interim head coach is likely to see the number five as a leader and player he can trust.
Lisandro Martinez: Starting on the left of the two centre-backs, Martinez will hope to be better than he was vs Brighton, after being heavily criticised.
Up against the most dangerous attack in the league, Martinez will want to prove Nicky Butt wrong after his incorrect Erling Haaland prediction.
Luke Shaw: it will be a toss up for United between who starts at left-back, but given the extra experience and leadership, Shaw would be the more likely selection than Patrick Dorgu.
Shaw also didn’t start last weekend, although there remains questions over whether the 30-year-old can handle the physical demands of playing full-back.
Casemiro: This week has seen plenty of talk around the contract situation of the Brazilian, and against City, we expect Casemiro to step closer to extension, getting one start of 17 needed out of the way.
Manuel Ugarte was poor against Brighton and so Casemiro will probably be Carrick’s defacto starter.
Kobbie Mainoo: With Ruben Amorim gone, Mainoo will finally be free and alongside Casemiro he will find his home.
Wayne Rooney has been disappointed with Mainoo this season when he played, and United will be hoping that he can summon a performance like he had in the 2024 FA Cup final.
Bryan Mbeumo: Back from AFCON after getting knocked out in the quarter finals, Mbeumo will likely slot straight back into the starting line-up, with his stature likely putting him above Amad for the time being.
Ideally, Amad and Mbeumo would start on either wing, but for now, Carrick will use one and have one as an impact substitute, finally having depth.
Now they are both back, how can Amad and Bryan Mbeumo both fit into Michael Carrick’s starting XI?
Let us know how you would line the team up…
Bruno Fernandes: The first name on the team sheet for Carrick this weekend will be club captain Fernandes, who will be required to step up again with goals and assists.
Fernandes’ United future is on ice right now, but he will always give his very best for the Red Devils.
Matheus Cunha: While Cunha hasn’t been great recently, in a big game like this the Brazilian has that moment of magic that could result in something special.
Cunha probably starts here, but an unsuccessful day could see Amad or Mbeumo as the left sided attacker going forward.
WHAT should Michael Carrick’s first Manchester United XI look like?
Would you make changes to our picks?
Benjamin Sesko: Three goals in two games for Sesko as the striker has finally caught form and with confidence looks like a player who could just continue to score.
Sesko has earned praise lately, and we expect this will only continue if Carrick continues to platform him to succeed.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/1JCYIDe