What Can We Expect From Michael Carrick Ahead Of The Manchester Derby?

What Can We Expect From Michael Carrick Ahead Of The Manchester Derby?

Michael Carrick has recently been appointed as interim manager of Manchester United for the second time, taking over from fellow ex-player Darren Fletcher after his two-game caretaker position. Carrick is lined up for this position until the end of the season, with the ex-United midfielder edging out fellow ex-United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær for the job. He has been in a caretaker position at Old Trafford before, taking over from Solskjær after he was sacked from his post back in November 2021.

Carrick managed just three games in this time, picking up two wins and a draw. He managed in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League and will be ready for a very tough first fixture, but an exciting one... The Manchester Derby. We are going to look at how he set up in his three fixtures in his first tenure, see his system during his time as Middlesbrough manager and compare to see just how he might set up in the Manchester derby.

United Managerial Debut

In his three fixtures during his first tenure, he set up in three different but similar formations, depending on who was available. He set up in a 4411, a 4312 and a 4231 in these fixtures. It is clear from these three formations that he looked to pack the midfield and dominate his opponents, which may be what we see on Saturday. He managed to beat both Arsenal and Villareal in this time, while also drawing away at Chelsea.

The last time Michael Carrick managed Manchester United, this was the starting XI (2021). pic.twitter.com/WTNm2FZZK9

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 15, 2026

He much further developed his style of play while manager of Middlesbrough, but he set his ideas out quite clearly during his first period at Manchester United and these moments were the building blocks that started his managerial career after spending time as Ole's assistant.

Middlesbrough Tenure

Carrick took over Middlesbrough in 2022, and spent two and a half years at the club as the first team manager. He managed for 136 matches, with a record of 63 wins, 24 draws and 39 losses. He took them over when the club were 21st and quickly grew them into a side competing for the playoffs in the EFL Championship. His side played strong attacking football and they were tactically set up very well, so we should expect to see this at Manchester United if the players are suited to the way he wants to play. He took over in October 2022 and by February 2023 he had climbed the table all the way up to third - a huge impact in a short time. They didn't manage promotion in the end, but his impact was clear.

When Michael Carrick took the Middlesbrough job in October 2022, they were 21st, he’s since won 70% of his games in charge and has them in 3rd, just 7 points off 2nd placed Sheff United after Boro came from behind to win 3-1 at Bramall Lane last night.

That’s one hell of a job. pic.twitter.com/6x1pBLporL

— HLTCO (@HLTCO) February 16, 2023

He played a fluid system that matched that of many elite managers in football. After Ruben Amorim's system issues at Manchester United, it will be very interesting to see if Michael Carrick can get his players suited to the exact system that he would like to play.

Michael Carrick style represents that of the elites (4-2-4 ➡️ 3-2-5 in possession, 4-4-1-1 off the ball)... Let's see if It will work out with the likes of Dalot as his player. pic.twitter.com/a96BxyyhbW

— ×͜×Abdulbaseet Szn󱢏 (@Adozuka_) January 13, 2026

How Will he Setup This Weekend?

Carrick setup in a 4231 formation in 90.32% of his fixtures for Middlesbrough, with 442 being his second most favoured formation. Using this information, we can look into Manchester United's available players and decide how we believe that Carrick will set up his first side of the season.

Middlesbrough played 4-2-3-1 in 90.32% of their league matches with Michael Carrick at the helm, with 4-4-2 being his second most favoured formation.

Expect a similar approach at MUFC. 👔 pic.twitter.com/8iLrIRybKv

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 13, 2026

It seems very likely that Carrick will setup in a 4231 formation, using a mixture of players that he knows from his first time as United boss as well as some of the new lads. I Believe he will setup tomorrow like this:

Goalkeeper - Senne Lammens

Defenders - Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw

Midfield Pivot - Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte

Attacking Midfield - Bryan Mbuemo, Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha

Forward - Benjamin Sesko

Carrick will look to get the best out of the players that he has available as some are out due to involvment in the African Cup Of Nations nad due to injuries. He couldn't have had a much tougher first fixture as Manchester United boss, but I believe he will relish the challenge and put up a huge fight to bring Manchester United back into European football come the end of the season.