Red Devils’ Carrick brings calm as unbeaten run sparks Top-4 surge

THERE is something wonderfully circular about Manchester United in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

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SEVEN matches, six wins, and a return to the Champions League spots. Michael Carrick has brought a sense of calm and competence back to Old Trafford that many thought was lost. | AFP

(AFP)

After a decade of searching for salvation in big ideas and bigger coaching reputations, the club has once again turned to a familiar face.And this time, the familiar face is not just steadying the ship — he is sailing it rather smoothly.

Michael Carrick’s unbeaten start since replacing Ruben Amorim in January has injected a sense of calm that has felt almost foreign at Old Trafford in recent years.

There was no grand tactical revolution, no manifesto-length proclamations, just structure, clarity and - most importantly — results.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in seven matches under the former midfielder, with an impressive six wins that have seen them surge into the Champions League places in third place on the log table.

Amorim’s tenure, brief though it was, felt like another chapter in United’s modern experiment phase. His commitment to a defined system was admirable, but the Premier League is ruthless with ideology that is not backed up by results.