Michael Carrick has praised a ‘fantastic’ star at Manchester United ahead of their upcoming clash with Fulham in the Premier League.
Manchester United host Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, with Michael Carrick eager to keep his unbeaten run going as interim boss.
The Reds have enjoyed a strong start under Carrick, claiming successive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two matches in charge. United picked up six points from those fixtures, producing assured performances against the Premier League’s top two sides.
Next up is a different test, as a confident Fulham side travel to Manchester aiming to cause an upset. The Cottagers sit seventh in the table, just four points behind United in fourth.
Unlike the recent encounters against elite opposition, United will be expected to control the game and come away with all three points.
Carrick praises ‘fantastic’ United star ahead of Fulham
Many players have impressed Carrick since he arrived as the new head coach, including those who haven’t played much football under him yet.
He praised Mason Mount in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Fulham game and has now come out to speak about Noussair Mazraoui.
Mazraoui came off the bench at Arsenal to help secure the win after he returned from AFCON, where Morocco lost in the final to Senegal in shocking fashion.
“Yeah he’s come back well, Nous,” Carrick told club media. “It was a difficult one, obviously, on the back of the final and how it panned out.
“[He had] a few days to digest that then back in and around it. He’s been fantastic in and around the group and around training.
“Obviously, he came on at the end of the game and played a part for us, as you’d expect.
“So yeah, again [we want to] just keep thickening the squad, bolstering the squad and it’s great to have him back.”
Right-back competition is good
Before the latest two fixtures, many fans would have expected Mazraoui to come straight back into the side due to Diogo Dalot’s underwhelming performances.
But now that he’s back in a more natural position, Dalot has been much-improved under Carrick. He was solid defensively against City and Arsenal while providing some good moments on the ball.
He will likely start against Fulham too but Mazraoui is clearly breathing down his neck and ready to take an opportunity when it comes.
They were both average at best wingbacks, but now are two solid options at fullback for Carrick, who is hoping that they push each other to higher levels.
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.