Michael Carrick has made an immediate impact at Manchester United, guiding the side to four straight Premier League wins and pushing them up into fourth place. Carrick said the run should be enjoyed, but the timing is the real story: United’s trip to West Ham comes with the Champions League race tightening and little room for error.
The quick rise in the table has eased the pressure that followed last month’s coaching change, yet it has not erased the bigger questions. United’s form has improved, but the squad still looks like a work in progress, with selection balance and longer-term development not settled by one strong spell of results.
There is also uncertainty around how the change unfolded. Some reports have described Carrick as replacing Ruben Amorim; that remains reported rather than fully established in public detail.
What is clear is that United now face a stretch of fixtures that will define whether this is a genuine top-four push or simply a new-manager bounce.
A result at West Ham would strengthen their position and give Carrick breathing room ahead of the season run-in. A slip, and the pressure returns instantly — because in this part of the table, momentum doesn’t last long unless it’s backed up week after week.
