Michael Carrick had to endure a double blow to his Man Utd squad with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, but he took a third risk, which will need managing against Newcastle now.
The injury list at Man Utd is starting to get uncomfortably long, as Lisandro Martinez, Patrick Dorgu, and Matthijs de Ligt were joined by Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw on the sidelines.
Shaw came off in the first half against Palace in the 2-1 win, while Maguire was subbed late on, with Carrick striking a hopeful tone about both after the game.
It looks likely that neither will be risked for the Newcastle game due to the short turnaround time, but one player was risked against Palace and will again need managing against Newcastle.
Michael Carrick took a risk with Casemiro
Casemiro deserves huge credit for the turnaround he has sparked in his Man Utd career, which has now spanned across multiple managerial changes.
Michael Carrick’s arrival saw him rise in importance further as the interim manager restored the old guard of the club.
However, a major reason why the Brazilian has been borderline flawless is because of the schedule, which has given his body plenty of time for rest and recovery.
Against Palace, he was again at his brilliant best, and Carrick needed every bit of it, as evidenced by his playing the full 90 minutes.
Casemiro has generally played the full 90 under Carrick, but the short turnaround time means he won’t have as much time to recuperate after this game.
He was starting to look gassed against Palace, and Newcastle are one of the most intense teams in the league. United have been here before, when Casemiro looked sluggish against West Ham after doing well against Spurs in a space of four days.
Casemiro’s minutes will need to be managed vs Newcastle
A plus point for Carrick is that, barring some extraordinary fixture rescheduling, this is the last time United will play this season with a turnaround time of less than a week.
He will need to manage Casemiro’s minutes here because United do seem to fall apart when he’s not on the pitch.
Whether that is by starting him and subbing him off, hoping to be in a good position, or giving Manuel Ugarte the last chance to save his Man Utd career.
Either way, asking Casemiro to run two 90-minute gauntlets against two of the most physical teams in the league in a span of four days is asking a lot of him.
He might still do it, because that’s just the kind of model professional he is, but Carrick would do well to manage his minutes.
Not only would it keep Casemiro at his peak shape, but it would also answer questions about Carrick’s squad management nous.
With potentially four competitions next season and Carrick in the running for the job, it accomplishes two things with one move.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/HSmfLA5