Michael Carrick is making visible changes to his tactical approach ahead of Manchester United starting the 2026/27 season.
Manchester United beat Rosenborg 5-0 in a pre-season friendly on Friday afternoon, and Michael Carrick will be pleased with what he saw from a makeshift squad.
Shea Lacey and Joshua Zirkzee scored in the first half, before Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams added three more in the second half.
With under a month to go until the 2026/27 Premier League season begins, Carrick made some interesting tactical tweaks against Rosenborg.
Which Manchester United academy star impressed you the most vs Rosenborg?
Shea Lacey, Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams all scored, but there were so many impressive performances!
Control over chaos
It is no coincidence that United have been drawn into chaotic end-to-end matches in recent seasons; it’s a direct result of the tactical setup used by Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
United were relying on counter-attacks and transitions, especially against the bigger sides in the Premier League.
But Carrick is making changes to try and drive this United side away from the unpredictability of end-to-end football. There is more of a focus on controlling possession, dictating tempo and suffocating sides in their own half.
The midfield pivot of Mason Mount and Andrey Santos showed this best, choosing to slow play down and progress play forward until United had Rosenborg pinned in their box in a low block shape.
Technicians such as Joshua Zirkzee and Shea Lacey were then responsible for picking up spaces that could be found by line-breaking passes played from midfield.
Fans can expect more of Carrick’s slow, methodical build-up next season.
Two fit into 6 and 8
United have spent the summer transfer window bolstering their midfield options, and £48m signing Andrey Santos started his second match for United here. Youri Tielemans will join up with the squad shortly, as will Kobbie Mainoo.
But Carrick opted for a midfield pivot of Santos and Mount – the same as against Wrexham in the first pre-season friendly.
It quickly became clear that while they were playing alongside each other, Santos and Mount had very specific roles with different responsibilities.
Out of possession, both Santos and Mount pressed high, with the latter instructed to push forward and join the front four in the press if needed. Santos sat deeper, patrolling as a traditional No.6.
In possession, Santos was the pivot. The Brazilian would hold off from running beyond the forward line and was tasked with finding space for an easy pass for the wingers. Santos is an elite line-breaker and with the ball at his feet he could then fire a pass into the feet of his forwards.
As for Mount, he was given licence to roam forward and disrupt Rosenborg’s defence with late runs from deep – one of his biggest strengths.
Even when Mainoo and Tielemans (and hopefully a third midfield signing) are introduced, expect these strict roles to stay.
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Who impressed you most and why?
High defensive line
In order for United to dominate possession and control matches, Carrick needs to make the space between the defence and the midfield as small as possible.
United had a high defensive line against Rosenborg when in possession. As a result, the Red Devils were able to counter-press quickly when they lost possession in the opposition half, knowing that there was not much space to be exploited behind them.
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Previous managers have struggled to implement a high line at United because the lack of pace in defence meant forwards had plenty of joy from long aerial passes.
But it is clearly something Carrick wants to stick with heading into 2026/27. Having a partnership of Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro at centre-back gives United the pace they need to recover from long passes.
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