Michael Carrick has praised two Manchester United players who are yet to play any football during his time in charge of the club.
Manchester United appear to be in a strong position under Michael Carrick after securing three consecutive victories against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham.
Those results have firmly placed the Reds in the race for a top-four finish, with the added benefit of playing just once a week due to their absence from European competition.
The team looks rejuvenated following the change in management. Under Ruben Amorim, there were frequent questions about whether the squad was suited to his tactical demands.
Now, however, there is a clear sense of unity, with Carrick seemingly getting the best out of several of United’s key players.
Carrick ‘loves to see’ United celebration
Carrick has managed three games so far this season and across those fixtures he has only made one change to the lineup, with Matheus Cunha coming in for Patrick Dorgu against Fulham.
Despite this, the United boss is well aware of the need for players within the squad to be ready to make an impact and he has been pleased by two players who are yet to play under him.
Joshua Zirkzee returned to the squad last time out but did not get onto the pitch. Carrick opted to bring on Benjamin Šeško instead and he scored an injury time winner.
Funnily enough, Zirkzee was one of the first players to run up to Šeško and celebrate with him. That is something that Carrick ‘loves’ to see.
“When you see that emotion and you see the boys celebrating together, the supporters, the reaction. The boys warming up to come on, they’re celebrating with Ben for that winner as much as anyone else,” he told reporters.
“I love to see that, you can’t fake that. I can talk about it all day long but you’ve got to feel it. The boys definitely did that. It was a big moment for Ben but it was a big moment for all of us.”
Carrick says Malacia is ‘chomping at the bit’
Another player who is yet to get any minutes under Carrick is Tyrell Malacia, who was denied a mid-season exit due to Dorgu’s injury.
Malacia has been heavily impacted by his own injury issues over recent years but Carrick has explained how the defender is eager to get some action in the first-team.
“For Ty to be back, he’s obviously missed a lot of football over recent years, so to be back around the group, he’s chomping at the bit to play,” Carrick added.
READ MORE: Manchester United amongst clubs linked with the ‘next Pedri’ as bargain £22m transfer fee emerges
“It’s really important we’ve got a strong group, as strong as we can, to take us through to the end of the season. So everyone is going to be important in different ways.
“The squad is settled now. We know what we’ve got, which is great. Stability is important for us and we’ll keep moving forward.”
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.