The changes Pochettino will make at Man Utd – plus six January transfer targets

Résumé détaillé

Despite the spirited fightback, he looked like a man resigned to his fate. And so it came to pass on Thursday as United brought the axe down on Carrick. The former Middlesbrough…

Manchester United sparked two two-goal comebacks against Aston Villa on Sunday. In an eight-goal thriller at Old Trafford, Michael Carrick didn’t even celebrate Patrick Dorgu’s 96th-minute equaliser.

Rather, Carrick merely raised his finger to the sky. Despite the spirited fightback, he looked like a man resigned to his fate.

And so it came to pass on Thursday as United brought the axe down on Carrick. The former Middlesbrough boss went from signing a two-year deal to his dismissal in the space of 15 games.

Carrick certainly deserved a full-time chance at Old Trafford, but in hindsight it was the club’s latest disastrous decision.

They will hope, then, that they have at least appointed the right successor, with the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino confirmed on Friday.

One major benefit of going from Carrick to Pochettino is that there will not be a major overhaul in setup. Both managers favour a 4-2-3-1 system, so the players are well-versed in the demands that come from Carrick’s successor.

The improvement will come in the way the team operates without the ball. Summer signing Youri Tielemans revealed before the season got underway that Carrick had focussed largely on ball-work in pre-season. Had United been able to dominate proceedings, then it is a decision that would have made sense.

Rather, United have either started matches slowly or ended games poorly as the players lack the requisite fitness to maintain Premier League standards for the full 90 minutes. That will change under Pochettino. This United squad is about to endure a very abrupt wake-up call.

The two-man midfield base benefits the creative star in the squad. It is no secret that captain Bruno Fernandes has become disillusioned with life at Old Trafford in recent weeks, going as far as to question Carrick’s tactics following the 4-1 Champions League loss to Como.

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