Michael Carrick praised one player’s performance in Manchester United’s win over Fulham, with his comments proving former boss Rúben Amorim completely wrong.
Manchester United snatched a dramatic Premier League victory on Sunday, with Benjamin Šeško’s late strike sealing a pulsating 3–2 win over Fulham.
The hosts began on the front foot, as Amad and Harry Maguire both tested the goalkeeper early on, while Senne Lammens was alert to deny Fulham at the other end. United’s pressure told just before the 20-minute mark when Casemiro powered a header home at the back post from Bruno Fernandes’ delivery.
United took a 1–0 lead into the interval, but Fulham returned after the break with greater intensity. A superb effort from Matheus Cunha appeared to put the hosts in control, only for Raúl Jiménez to reduce the deficit from the penalty spot after being fouled. Deep into stoppage time, Kevin struck a sensational equaliser to make it 2–2.
With the contest seemingly heading for a draw, substitute Šeško had the final say, firing home a dramatic winner in the closing moments. The result continued Michael Carrick’s perfect start, making it three wins from three and keeping United comfortably inside the top four.
Carrick praises Mainoo’s off-the-ball ability
While this Manchester United side has seen improvements across the board, one player who has enjoyed a complete change in fortunes since Michael Carrick took over is Kobbie Mainoo, who has starred in all three of the club’s games.
The 20-year-old put on yet another stellar display against Fulham, partnering very well with Casemiro in the middle of the pitch.
Speaking on the midfielder after the game, Michael Carrick said: “Without the ball, he was terrific. And then with the ball, the ability to cope, he’s not fazed by it. He just plays his game and understands what is needed.
“The moments of quality, it’s what we expect from him, but you also forget how young he is.”
Rúben Amorim has been proven wrong
In hindsight, one of Amorim’s most disappointing aspects of his time in charge at Manchester United was his failure to include Mainoo in his team on a regular basis, after breaking out under former boss Erik ten Hag.
Under the Portuguese head coach, Mainoo was seen as little more than backup to Bruno Fernandes, but has now thrived alongside Casemiro after the club’s captain returned to his preferred position further forward.
While Carrick heaped praise on Mainoo’s off-the-ball ability, Amorim previously talked about the midfielder’s role in the side, saying: “He is really good at controlling the game, but if he plays as a no.8, he has to reach the box [and be] returning [back to midfield]. Sometimes he has to cover a lot of space.”
“Kobbie could play as a no.6, but sometimes he passes the ball and goes away, and that’s not a reference as a no.6. So we have to balance everything [in midfield]. I think he needs to have the technical ability that he already has, but he needs more pace, he needs to better understand the position, he needs to play at different speeds – sometimes it’s slower, sometimes it’s faster – and I think he can improve on that.”
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