Carrick's major change at MU

On his return to Old Trafford, interim manager Michael Carrick helped Manchester United pull off a major surprise.

According to The Times , Michael Carrick requested that Manchester United's training sessions be shortened in duration but increased in intensity, a change that shocked many players with the volume and pace of exercise from the very beginning. This impetus made an immediate difference.

Right from the first training session, which took place midweek before the derby win against Man City (2-0), the atmosphere at Carrington was completely different.

Internal sources describe a noticeable shift in energy on the training ground. Players are moving more, focusing more intensely, and displaying a positive spirit rarely seen in months.

This is the first optimistic sign after a chaotic period under Ruben Amorim, when MU fell into crisis with a record low win rate and a complete decline in morale.

Carrick didn't simply cut down on training time to avoid overtraining. His philosophy was quality over quantity.

Each training session was meticulously designed, goal-oriented, and demanded intense focus. The players were particularly impressed with the level of detail that Carrick and the coaching staff provided, from situational analysis and technical instruction to correcting even the smallest movements in ball handling and off-ball movement.

Another key positive lies in the synergy of the new coaching staff. Carrick quickly built a deep and highly complementary team of assistants, with Steve Holland as his number one assistant, Jonathan Woodgate, a former colleague from Middlesbrough, and Jonny Evans, a former teammate with deep knowledge of the Old Trafford dressing room.

British experts consider this a harmonious combination of experience, personality, and expertise, creating a solid coaching team right from the start.

That balance allowed Carrick to convey his ideas smoothly, from the overall tactical structure to individual details. More importantly, the players quickly felt a sense of cohesion and clear direction, something they lacked in the previous period.

These changes didn't stop at the training ground. After just a few training sessions, MU showed a completely different face in the Manchester derby, convincingly beating Man City 2-0. This is clear evidence that the "new energy" at Carrington is being translated into tangible results.