Ruben Amorim didn’t have many arguments left that, just with time and reinforcements, he would lead United to the top of the Premier League. Michael Carrick came in directly and showed it was possible to win PL games in a row, when he took over in January. The battle to replace Amorim as interim United manager was between Carrick and Solskjaer, now the former has been established as a permanent solution, but shows he has learned a lot from Solskjaer.
Carrick worked as an assistant coach and wingman with Solskjaer throughout the Norwegian’s tenure from 2018-2021, the English media United in focus describes Carrick’s United in 2026/27 as a game where the best of Solskjaer has been included, and the weaknesses of the United legend have been removed. This was especially evident in the friendly against Leeds.
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Here is United in Focus’s analysis:
“Small shades of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s best football are back, but with a crucial transformation. Solskjaer is unfairly labelled as a manager who relied more on individual brilliance than a clear tactical idea, which is far from the truth.”
“Individual brilliance alone can’t lead you to finish second in the league, a position United would kill for after the last few seasons. That said, there was a clear pattern in Solskjaer’s idea, with the team appearing to be devoid of structure as soon as any new signings were made. Against Leeds, Carrick showed that he had worked under Solskjaer, as the Norwegian’s best wins came against Leeds.”
At the time, Solskjaer largely fooled Marcelo Bielsa’s man-marking system with fluid movements to drag Leeds’ defence everywhere. Daniel Farke comes from the same school of ideas, and Carrick did with him what Solskjaer did with Bielsa.”
“Take the first goal, for example, where Bryan Mbeumo somehow won the ball on the left wing, which is his least natural position. Mbeumo ran down the wing and sent in for Joshua Zirkzee, who was everywhere, from defensive midfield to striker against Leeds. The attacking structure was extremely fluid, with changing positions, running off the ball and quick one-twos that destroyed Leeds’ defensive structure.”
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“It could just as easily have been Solskjaer leading United in this game. However, what separates Carrick from Solskjaer is what happened “off” the ball. Solskjaer’s team was often accused of lacking structure later in his tenure, when things fell apart, and rightly so. The players were given so much individual responsibility that when their heads weren’t in, everything fell apart.”
“In contrast, the brilliance of Carrick’s team comes within a structure. Players are given the freedom to solve problems on the field, but they know what their duties are within a structure. For example, Mbeumo knew he didn’t need to pressure Leeds’ centre-backs, but he jumped and unleashed the pressure as soon as the ball reached midfield.”
“Similarly, Patrick Dorgu started the pressure on the left, but Harry Amass joined him only when the ball reached the final third.
“On the ball, Andrey Santos held position to allow Tyler Fletcher to go forward, despite the Brazilian being better on the ball. These are all the basic principles of the structure that allow players to thrive. They still have the freedom to solve problems, but the number of problems they have to solve is reduced.”
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“It’s Carrick’s newest addition to Man Utd, building on Solskjaer’s best and fixing his worst.”
