Manchester United’s form has been great under Michael Carrick so far, with five wins from six matches since the Englishman took over on an interim basis.
Earning 16 points in those six matches has taken them to fourth place in the Premier League, and once again, knocking on the door for European football.
Manchester United’s form leads one to wonder whether Michael Carrick should become the new Manchester United manager on a long-term basis.
However, there are a few things to consider before the club management makes their final decision and appoints a new permanent manager in the summer.
Manchester United’s Form Has Been A Result Of Good Counter-Attacking Football
Manchester United’s form has largely resulted from good counter-attacking football.
Benjamin Sesko’s goal against Everton came from a brisk counter-attack, as has been the case in most of United’s recent matches, starting from their 2-0 win over Manchester City a few weeks ago.
That is quite a good tactic, but it still means that the Red Devils enjoy being on the back foot and breaking on counters to hurt the opposition.
This has been the case with them since the days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their manager, who made the team play counter-attacking football primarily.
The front-three of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha have looked great while breaking into attacks from transitions with their pace and finishing, but they have not quite been able to breach a deep opposition defence with probing and incisive passes.
They have typically needed more space to hurt the opposition, but all three have been very effective this season so far.
The same has been happening since the days of Solskjaer, as United have enjoyed playing against teams that take the attack to them frequently.
Ruben Amorim decided to switch to a back-three to increase numbers at the centre of the defence in order to absorb pressure and then break into counters.
On the other hand, Carrick has switched to a back-four, but the playing style of the team has remained largely the same.
United have defensive players like Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro, who are quite adept at playing long passes into the opposition half from deep, not to mention the talismanic Bruno Fernandes, who has contributed significantly towards Manchester United’s form.
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Manchester United’s Form: Will The Style Prove To Be Good Against Big European Teams?
This strategy might not look very good in the long term if United qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season and play big European opposition.
A big club is expected to play in a certain way and look to dominate matches with assertive football.
There might be occasions when even a big team is forced to go into a shell, but that should not be the regular pattern.
In order to change their approach, United will need a new manager and preferably a proven one, who will be able to inculcate a positive philosophy into the team.
In the above case, Carrick might not be the best man to take the team forward. His job is to ensure that United finish inside the top four this season, and in doing so, it will make his tenure a big success.
However, his style of play might not be the one that a big club like Manchester United want to go forward with, despite Manchester United’s form being really good during his tenure and him being a firm fan favourite in the new Manchester United manager search.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO/Sportimage
Recording Date: 23.02.2026
