“It’s the little things that count” – Sancho on the importance of statistics in football
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Hargreaves, a former teammate of Carrick’s at United and England, is well placed to give his verdict on the decision facing the club and why the 44-year-old has been so successful in the role so far.
“He just put the players back in their place,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports.
“Obviously, I think the formation under Ruben Amorim didn’t suit a lot of players. I think you could say we have nine or 10 players playing in slightly different positions.”
“Even[Brian]Mbeumo is playing as a striker, the number 10 is now playing as a winger, we have three in midfield instead of two, we have two centre-backs instead of three, we have full-backs instead of wing-backs.”
“Coby Mainu is back in the team. He fits like a glove with Bruno (Fernandes) and Casemiro.
“I think Michael did a great job of putting people in their natural position and giving them a little bit of confidence to go play and express themselves.”
Premier League standings since Carrick took over as manager on January 13th (as of March 25th)
Image credit: Opta
And on the key question of whether Carrick should be made permanent manager, Hargreaves was unequivocal.
“If they finish in the top four or five (in the league), he’s gotta be there,” he said. “I don’t know why I couldn’t give it to him.
“You can talk all you want about the experience. They had big names. The most important thing is to get results and Michael is getting results too.
“If you gave him the job of getting you into the Champions League and he got you there, then in my opinion you have to give it to him.”
Rashford could thrive in a ‘different climate’
It’s not just off the pitch that United have to make important choices.
“Marcus has done fantastically well at Barcelona,” Hargreaves said.
“But I would like to see him play on the left[at Manchester United]. That’s probably the only spot where there’s a bit of space for someone. I think Marcus would be perfectly suited for that left-wing position.”
“Sometimes a change of scenery is good for both parties, but I love watching academy boy Marcus play. It’s a different climate now and he might thrive in it.”
“I hope he stays, but I can understand if he doesn’t.”
A “new start” may be waiting for Sancho
Jadon Sancho is another winger who was left out of parent club United’s first-team squad, with the 25-year-old having been on loan since 2024, first with former club Borussia Dortmund, then Chelsea and now Aston Villa.
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Jadon Sancho after Manchester United lost to Manchester City in the 2024 FA Community Shield
Image credit: Getty Images
Hargreaves feels it could be the latter for Sancho, who joined United for £73m in 2021.
“I saw a lot of talent in Sancho at Borussia Dortmund,” he said.
“I don’t think he’ll stay at Man United. He’ll probably go. Obviously he hasn’t played that much. He’s played a little bit more for Aston Villa this season.”
“I think he’ll probably get a fresh start somewhere.”
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