Manchester United’s impressive derby win over Manchester City last weekend has raised optimism about their prospects for the rest of the season, with Alan Shearer suggesting the Red Devils could finish strongly under Michael Carrick.
Shearer believes United have a realistic chance of securing Champions League qualification if they maintain their current level of performance. Carrick, a former United midfielder, stepped in last week following the departure of Ruben Amorim’s successor and is set to remain in charge until the end of the campaign.
Carrick could hardly have asked for a better return to Old Trafford, as United defeated City 2–0. The result lifted them to fifth place in the league table, just one point behind Liverpool.
Assessing Carrick’s early impact, Shearer praised the immediate transformation but warned that the players must sustain their intensity. Speaking to Betfair, he said: “I was hugely impressed by Michael Carrick’s Man United. It couldn’t have gone any better.
“He’d been in the club three days and made little tweaks with the system and individuals. Penny for the thoughts of Ruben Amorim watching that performance. It was like someone flipped a switch; the energy and aggression were incredible.
“That has to be the norm now. You need a little luck, getting Mbeumo and Amad back just in time, and Dalot not getting sent off, but the performance level was key.
“There’s no doubt Bruno Fernandes is a talented player. Best in the world might be going a bit far, but as a ’10’, he’s been brilliant for United. You wonder where they would have been without him.
“Carrick made big calls, leaving Cunha out, then bringing him on, bringing Maguire back in, and going to a back four. Everyone has been crying out for that. Bruno is a wonderful player.”
United now face another major test this weekend with an away trip to the Emirates Stadium to play league leaders Arsenal. Shearer believes that if Carrick’s side reproduce the same hunger and work rate, they could come away with a positive result and keep their top-four hopes alive.
He added: “They’ve got Arsenal this weekend, which is a shift from City, but that shouldn’t faze them. United have always had big results in big games, but they lacked the big performance. Last week was both.
“Whether they can go to Arsenal and win is a different matter, but if they show the same appetite, they’ll be fine. Even two draws against City and Arsenal would have been good, but now they’ve got three points in the bank.”
