Michael Carrick tasted defeat as Manchester United manager for the first time this week. The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at St James’ Park, failing to pick up at least one point under their interim boss for the first time in either of his spells at the club.
It was a lacklustre performance from United, which perhaps highlighted their lack of quality squad depth. Bringing Manuel Ugarte and Tyrell Malacia on was perhaps a marker of where the quality, or lack thereof, across the overall squad is.
Curiously, though, after Joshua Zirkzee’s impressive cameo as a number ten, it highlighted strong depth in that role.
Assessing Carrick’s options in attacking midfield
After a lively cameo against Crystal Palace at the weekend, Zirkzee followed that up with another bright 15 minutes against the Magpies. He may only get fleeting minutes at the moment, but his impact is certainly felt.
On Wednesday night, he completed 100% of his dribbles, created one chance and forced a stunning save out of Aaron Ramsdale with a dipping shot from range.
A silky player, Zirkzee always pulls off sharp touches like these against Palace, making him so effective as a number ten.
It is not just the technically-gifted Dutchman who is an option for Carrick as a number ten. Matheus Cunha is also able to operate centrally, as he did under Ruben Amorim for the first half of the season.
Of course, Bruno Fernandes is the first choice in that role. With seven goals and 14 assists in just 26 Premier League games this season, he is an unmovable presence in the side.
But with the likes of Zirkzee and Cunha, Carrick certainly has lots of options.
That might spell bad news for another of United’s more senior players, though.
The United star who might struggle to break into the team
Even though Fernandes is a lock to start as United’s number 10, it is good for Carrick to have options. Certainly, Zirkzee and Cunha are both more than apt alternatives to their captain if he needs a rest.
Unfortunately, that might mean United and England star Mason Mount has now slid even further down the pecking order. Despite his obvious talent, the 27-year-old has seen his Old Trafford career ravaged by injuries.
Chelsea academy graduate Mount has only played 66 times for the Red Devils since his major £60m move from Stamford Bridge in 2023.
Incredibly, he’s missed almost as many games with injury, being sidelined for 58 games in the same time.
It is certainly a shame for the Old Trafford faithful that their number seven hasn’t played much in that famous Red shirt. When he has been fully fit, his quality has shone through, with this goal from the halfway line in last season’s Europa League a prime example.
But perhaps the Portsmouth-born attacker is just not available enough to make his £60m move worth it.
Under Carrick, he has played just a single minute in the Manchester Derby in January, and he only played nine minutes under Ruud van Nistelrooy during his interim spell last season.
|
Mount record per manager at Man United |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manager |
Possible no. of games |
Actual no. of games (mins) |
|
Erik ten Hag |
66 |
25 (982) |
|
Ruud van Nistelrooy |
4 |
1 (9) |
|
Ruben Amorim |
63 |
37 (1571) |
|
Darren Fletcher |
2 |
2 (92) |
|
Michael Carrick |
8 |
1 (1) |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
||
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for Mount. He’s obviously a talented player still, but is so injury-prone nowadays that it is hard to see how he will get a solid run in the team once he’s recovered from his current issue.
With Fernandes already ahead of him, it is easy to make a case for the fact that Zirkzee and Cunha have also leapfrogged him in the pecking order.
Mount will be desperate to revive his Old Trafford career, but who knows how many games he will start again, if any at all.
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