Michael Carrick could take a valuable page out of the playbook of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup tournament.
The 44-year-old Manchester United manager has already embarked on the Red Devils’ pre-season tour at the weekend ahead of the World Cup final.
Man Utd lost 1-0 to Championship side Wrexham on Saturday at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, with Sam Smith scoring the winner in the 39th minute.
Michael Carrick was without several key United first-team players, who were still at the World Cup or had been provided extra time to rest after their participation.
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s approach after one World Cup could be something that Michael Carrick needs to explore now
Sir Alex Ferguson was known to have a deep dislike of international breaks, but the ex-Manchester United manager was powerless against the allure of the World Cup.
However, the 84-year-old legendary Scotsman faced his own headache ahead of the 2010-11 season after several key players returned from the World Cup with injuries.
United lost out on the Premier League title in the 2009-10 campaign to Chelsea and Ferguson had already dealt with prolonged injuries to 16 players during the season.
Speaking ahead of the 2010 World Cup, Ferguson put a “plan” in place to extend the break for players returning from the tournament to avoid aggravating any injuries.
“The World Cup will be draining for all the players involved,” he said, as per The Guardian at the time.
“It is the biggest tournament of their lives and we will be giving all of the players who are involved a 28-day rest after the last game.
“We will begin the season without them. That is the plan.”
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Michael Carrick could also adopt a ‘28-day-off strategy,’ even if it means affecting the start of Man Utd’s 2026-27 campaign
Michael Carrick is seeing the negative effects of the World Cup, with Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and Manuel Ugarte all returning to Old Trafford with injuries.
It could be a major roll of the dice for Carrick to extend the break for players returning from the tournament — if they played in the later stages of the tournament.
Not only would it put the players behind on the training schedule, but a rough start to the season would see the pressure turn up a notch on Man Utd boss Carrick.
However, the extended break might be more important than ever for Man Utd players, especially with the increased fixture schedule for the 2026-27 season.
To ensure any other major stars avoid the sidelines like Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and Manuel Ugarte, a Ferguson-style rest period could pay off if it is rolled out now.
Carrick still has time on his side to extend Man Utd players’ break beyond three weeks, specifically for those who played in the later stages of the World Cup.
Man Utd would be better off starting the season without certain players if it meant the short-term sacrifice yielded long-term returns over the course of the campaign.
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