Man Utd face Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday but with Champions League football secured there could be changes for the final three games of the season.
Michael Carrick could ring the changes for Manchester United in their final three games of the Premier League season after the club secured their return to the Champions League with time to spare.
Victory against Liverpool last weekend guaranteed United a spot in next season’s competition and they now have a six-point cushion in third as well, with Carrick delivering a run of 10 wins in 14 games since taking over in January.
He has done so while sticking with a core group, with only 17 different players starting in those 14 matches. Manuel Ugarte has started just one game, Noussair Mazraoui has started twice, and Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee are among those yet to start under Carrick.
Click here to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter
The 44-year-old is keen to finish the season on a high and praised all his players for helping keep standards high, even if some haven’t played as often as they would have liked.
Carrick has taken advantage of an easier schedule, with only two midweek games since he took charge in mid-January, and he has been able to focus exclusively on the Premier League, which has allowed him to pick from a core group of players, but he is aware some will be disappointed not to have featured more and could hand out starts against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
“I think every player in the squad has been absolutely fantastic, I have to say,” he said. “Some have played a lot more than others and I understand from a professional and a playing point of view it can be difficult, but the togetherness and the support that the players have shown, certainly each other, is great to see.
“It’s what we need within the group and that’s part of the challenge of doing a lot of training and not having as many games as we would have liked. It’s the balance that we’ve made the most of really, so coming into these games it’s something we’re aware of, I think it’s really something we’re keen on playing well and still trying to get good results as well, but it’s definitely something to be aware of.”
United have little riding on their trip to the Stadium of Light, but for Newcastle-native Carrick, it is always an important fixture, and it carries extra resonance after what happened in 2012.
Carrick was part of the United side that won at the Stadium of Light on the final day of that season, but saw the title snatched away from them when Sergio Aguero scored in the 94th minute at the Etihad to win the league for Manchester City.
Sunderland’s supporters celebrated United’s disappointment with glee and Carrick admitted he can still remember that day 14 years on, and he had to be coaxed into expanding on his memories from it.
“I can remember that. I’ve not forgotten it,” he said. “Obviously, it was a one-off kind of feeling and it wasn’t during the game. It wasn’t until after the game.
“I didn’t really know exactly where the land was lying at that point. So it wasn’t until we kind of walked towards the edge of the pitch and we had to deal with what was thrown out. It’s in the past, but it definitely sticks in the memory.”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
