The one star who will go away, the realm that should be strengthened and why Michael Carrick IS a contender to be everlasting boss after his first six video games in cost, writes NATHAN SALT

Some of the snap takeaways from Michael Carrick‘s succession of Ruben Amorim include that Manchester United can win matches in some style, the academy’s importance has been underscored by Carrick and his staff, and it’s still really hard to win five in a row so a fan in Spain can cut his hair.

Carrick is six games into his return to the club and his record stands at five wins and one draw, with only West Ham United preventing a 100 per cent win rate.

Some of those wins have been emphatic, namely Manchester City at home. Others have been more fortunate, such as Fulham at home and Everton away.

‘You learn more from defeats than you do from victories,’ Sir Alex Ferguson, legendary former United boss, wrote in his book ‘Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United’.

Ferguson isn’t wrong and much will have been learned from the ‘poorer’ displays away to West Ham and Everton.

But there has also been plenty to glean from the half-dozen games under Carrick’s watch this season, from a shift in transfer market strategy to two players experiencing different levels of fortune.

WRITING ON THE WALL FOR UGARTE

I don’t believe Michael Carrick.

First time I’ve felt like that since he took over but that is the overwhelming feeling when, on Friday, he addressed the role, near anonymity, of Manuel Ugarte.

‘I like Manu a lot,’ Carrick said. ‘He’s been terrific around the group. I’m hugely impressed with his attitude and how he goes about it and his training qualities. He’s got a lot of really good attributes.

‘When the team is winning there’s obviously a big upside to that and there’s always for the one or two boys that maybe haven’t played so much it makes it a little bit tougher to get in the team. But I think that creates competition as well in a real healthy way.

‘Manu is obviously desperate to get on the pitch more and he’s doing everything he can in training and he’s a big part of the group. It’s just a case of the boys playing so well.’

In conclusion, Carrick added: ‘There’s going to be times when we might need to change things and freshen things up and then certainly he’s a big part of that.’

Not accounting for stoppage time, there has been 540 minutes of Carrick’s United and Ugarte has been on the pitch for a grand total of 27 minutes, 15 of those arriving in the 3-2 win over Fulham.

He’s been an unused substitute in 50 per cent of the matches and has had just three minutes of action since February 1.

It’s no secret that Ugarte was being shopped around in January with numerous clubs in Turkey interested, while Ajax explored how a potential loan move would look.

Ultimately, United did not make a midfield addition of their own so any such exit was not going to be sanctioned. Additionally, Ruben Amorim’s exit – big for Ugarte, not least because the former head coach publicly called in to question his attitude in training – cleaned the slate for every player.

But with Kobbie Mainoo the midfield beneficiary since Carrick’s arrival, coupled with the club’s long-held summer plan to overhaul central midfield, the writing appears on the wall for Ugarte, even if Carrick’s words fly in the face of his actions.

DON’T EXPECT AMORIM-STYLE HEADLINES

That leads us nicely on to the next noteworthy learning: Carrick almost always knows the right thing to say, without saying too much and taking the headlines.

He’s articulate in his answers, safe a lot of the time which will be to the relief of his bosses given how his predecessor approached interviews and press conferences.

Amorim spoke about relegation – ‘We have to engage and focus on surviving’ – and also labelled his dressing room ‘the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United’.

There was also the post-Europa League final offer: ‘If the board and the fans feel I’m not the right guy, I will go in the next day without any conversation about compensation.’

Or the bombshell post-match press conference at Leeds United that cost the Portuguese coach his job.

You don’t get any of that with Carrick. And his bosses are no doubt punching the air because of it.

MAGUIRE DEAL MAKES LOTS OF SENSE

Earlier this season when the subject of Harry Maguire’s contract came up the word back was a dismissive one.

Rumours that things had advanced would not prove credible and then it got to January, usually a tell-tale sign that the club is preparing to move on.

But since being reinserted back into a prominent role under Michael Carrick, the appetite has now become insatiable for Maguire to extend his stay at the club he joined back in 2019.

Ever since hitting the woodwork with a header in the early stages against Manchester City, Maguire has been a man in form and could conceivably have been man of the match in many of Carrick’s six games.

With Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven still young, Matthijs de Ligt still battling a troublesome back problem three months after his expected return, and Lisandro Martinez back on the sidelines, marathon man Maguire has shown just why a new deal (albeit on reduced terms from his current £180,000-a-week deal) makes more and more sense with every passing game.

‘Experience is massive, it’s hard to put a price on how valuable that can be,’ Carrick said on Friday. ‘Harry’s gained an awful lot of it in different ways through this club.’

Across six games he hasn’t had a bad game yet and now the concept of losing his quality and leadership in three months’ time seems inconceivable.

LEFT WING SHOOTS UP PRIORITY LIST

Manchester United have been plotting their upcoming overhaul of central midfield for the best part of 12 months.

The top targets have been set in place for some time – Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton – and having none about Casemiro’s departure, coupled with growing expectation that Ugarte will depart and not previously replacing Christian Eriksen, the work to do is obvious.

But what Carrick’s tenure second time round has shown us all is that there is an imbalance to the attack right now, specifically down the left-hand side.

Minus Patrick Dorgu there is a lack of natural width at left wing with Matheus Cunha better inside, and Bruno Fernandes only drifting out wide on occasion.

Bryan Mbeumo’s fluid positioning has seen him pop up out there, while Luke Shaw’s limited athleticism in attacking areas mean United are only benefitting from his experience in one half of the pitch (their own).

While Barcelona are pressing ahead with plans to turn Marcus Rashford’s loan to a permanent for a deal in the region of £30million, and Jadon Sancho’s contract expiring at the end of the campaign, there is a major dearth of wingers in a squad that is going to need them.

Under Amorim, wingers had been replaced by wing-backs and natural attacking wide players had become relatively surplus to requirements.

But that is no longer the case and whether Carrick gets the job or not, signing a new left winger has suddenly taken on increased importance for United’s latest episode of rebuilding.

LADY LUCK IS ON THEIR SIDE

It’s also OK to admit that for as well as United have played under Carrick for the most part, they’ve also been able to rely on a bit of support from Lady Luck, too.

Away to West Ham, with the home team in the ascendancy, they were able to ride out the storm in order to score a late equaliser through Benjamin Sesko.

Everton had their chances, not least Harrison Armstrong in the box early in the second half, but Senne Lammens brought his A game and while United generally did not play to their potential, they hung in the fight long enough to land the knockout blow.

There was the late, late show from Sesko to salvage a win over Fulham, and the best goal of Patrick Dorgu’s career en route to defeating Arsenal.

United have been mesmeric in some of the Carrick performances but other times they’ve not been at their best and have still found ways to grind out victories.

Firmly believe you create your own luck and that’s what it feels United have done since Amorim’s departure.

… AND CARRICK IS A CONTENDER FOR TOP JOB

And finally, any suggestion when he took the job that he would just be keeping the seat warm for the next man has officially been thrown out of the window.

That doesn’t mean Carrick will get or is getting the job on a permanent basis.

But he is absolutely carrying himself as a man who believes this arrangement is going to extend beyond the summer, not least given his extensive in-person scouting of various academy sides.

Julian Nagelsmann still has his admirers at Old Trafford, while the availability of Luis Enrique would certainly throw a spanner in the works. Roberto De Zerbi is another that is highly thought of among the powers that be.

But five wins from a possible six thus far, including wins over title challengers Arsenal and Manchester City, have helped underscore Carrick’s case.

Fans are enjoying football again. He’s not controversial in the press. He cares deeply about the academy teams and why it is important to attend the games. Players are enjoying playing for him. And they are on track to return to the Champions League next season.