Michael Carrick left his Manchester United players stunned with an incredible display of skill on the training ground. The former Red Devils midfielder has enjoyed a dream start to his spell as interim manager until the end of the season. He led United to victory in the Manchester derby in his first game in charge, before masterminding a dramatic victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Carrick will be hoping to maintain his perfect record in the United dugout when they host Fulham this weekend. His players have been working hard on the training ground ahead of the fixture, with the 44-year-old also getting involved in some sessions. Harry Maguire was left shocked by Carrick’s quality in a passing drill as the Red Devils manager proved he’s still got plenty of talent.
“He still does demos in passing drills and he still bangs it through the lines like he’s still got it,” said Maguire, speaking on the latest episode of the Inside Carrington podcast.
“He was doing the demos the other day, and I think he did two passes. Everyone did about 300. I think his two were the best I’ve seen out of them all! But no, he’s still got it and he’s really hands-on in training.
“Also, you’ve got Steve [Holland] as well there. When I was working with Steve at England, he was really hands-on in terms of taking most of the training sessions. So you’ve got two coaches there who like to get involved and I think it’s really good.”
Maguire, who has played every minute in the Premier League following Carrick’s arrival, also hailed the United boss for the way he has handled himself since coming into the role.
He said: “I knew he would do that just from the experience of knowing Michael and also knowing the way that he coached when he was here under Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer].
“He spoke really, really well in the dressing room when he spoke back then and he was really just new into coaching then, so I had no surprises when he came in and the way that he spoke in his first meeting and the way the sessions have gone.
“And I do think that he’s got a great, great staff with him in terms of they’re all on the same page and I’ve been really impressed with him.”
Maguire’s fellow defender Ayden Heaven added that he was enjoying the benefits of working alongside Carrick and his coaching team, singling out Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate as being particularly helpful.
“Yeah, it’s really good, Jonny especially, he’s been helping me a lot,” said the 19-year-old. “Me and Leny [Yoro], after some of the sessions, we go to do extras and just work on that, you know, the basics.
“And even between drills, during their sessions, they’re always pulling me to the side and helping me on my positioning. I’ve enjoyed it so far. They’re a big help.”
Sessions are now believed to be shorter but more intense, with the players said to have responded positively to Carrick’s new approach. They are also thought to be impressed with the level of detail involved on the training pitch.