Michael Carrick has made his early mark as Manchester United manager and he has also impressed his players with his performance on the training ground
Michael Carrick left his Manchester United squad stunned with a brilliant show of technique during training sessions.
The former Red Devils ace has enjoyed a fairytale beginning to his tenure as caretaker boss through to the season’s end. He guided United to victory in the Manchester derby during his first match at the helm, before orchestrating a thrilling win against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Carrick will be eager to preserve his flawless record in the United hot seat when they welcome Fulham this weekend. And his squad have been working hard on the training pitch in preparation for the clash, with the 44-year-old also throwing himself into various drills.
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Harry Maguire was left astounded by Carrick’s class during a passing exercise, as the Red Devils boss demonstrated he’s still got it. “He still does demos in passing drills and he still bangs it through the lines like he’s still got it,” revealed Maguire on the latest instalment of the Inside Carrington podcast.
“He was doing the demos the other day, and I think he did two passes. Everyone did about 300. I think his two were the best I’ve seen out of them all! But no, he’s still got it and he’s really hands-on in training.
“Also, you’ve got Steve [Holland] as well there. When I was working with Steve at England, he was really hands-on in terms of taking most of the training sessions. So you’ve got two coaches there who like to get involved and I think it’s really good.”
Maguire, who has featured in every Premier League minute since Carrick’s appointment, also praised the United manager for his approach since taking charge. He said: “I knew he would do that just from the experience of knowing Michael and also knowing the way that he coached when he was here under Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer].
“He spoke really, really well in the dressing room when he spoke back then and he was really just new into coaching then, so I had no surprises when he came in and the way that he spoke in his first meeting and the way the sessions have gone.
“And I do think that he’s got a great, great staff with him in terms of they’re all on the same page and I’ve been really impressed with him.”
Fellow defender Ayden Heaven revealed he’s reaping the rewards of working under Carrick and his coaching staff, particularly highlighting the contributions of Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate.
“Yeah, it’s really good, Jonny especially, he’s been helping me a lot,” the 19-year-old explained. “Me and Leny [Yoro], after some of the sessions, we go to do extras and just work on that, you know, the basics.
“And even between drills, during their sessions, they’re always pulling me to the side and helping me on my positioning. I’ve enjoyed it so far. They’re a big help.”
This follows Carrick implementing a fresh approach at United, with increased focus on personalised training sessions for individual players. Training sessions are now understood to be briefer yet more rigorous, with the squad reportedly reacting favourably to Carrick’s fresh methods.
The players are also believed to be impressed by the detail of preparation on the training ground.