Carrick's light run-in is made for a top-4 spot ... and the United job

HEADING into this week- end ten years ago, Leicester City sat top of the Premier League table with 47 points after 23 rounds of fixtures.

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last 15 matches, Ranieri’s men (celebrating with the league trophy, circle) won ten, drew four and lost only one - a slightly controversial narrow defeat at the Emirates that saw Leicester reduced to ten men after taking the lead.

In those last 15 matches, they scored 26 goals and conceded just eight.

For those who put great importance on workloads in the second half of the season, this added considerable weight to the argument that fixture demands can play a pivotal part in the final standings.

And a decade on, Manchester United will add a bit more weight. The bookmakers got it wrong when Leicester were still not favourites to win the title - and they have got it wrong now by having United at odds against finishing in the top four (albeit narrowly at 5/4). They should be way shorter.