Manchester United have improved by leaps and bounds since firing Ruben Amorim and replacing him with former midfielder Michael Carrick, who has wasted no time in banishing the club’s least impressive player, Manuel Ugarte.
Since taking over on January 13, Carrick has not started the overpriced Ugarte, one of many high-profile transfer busts for Man United over the years, in a single Premier League game.
In total, he’s appeared in just three games in league play since Carrick became Manchester United manager, totaling 28 minutes in those three appearances with his most playing time in any one game coming against Fulham on Feb. 1 when he played 16 minutes off the bench in a 3-2 win.
Manchester United are a team revived under Carrick, who has gotten the most out of the talented forwards, with Patrick Dorgu shining now that he’s on the wings and Benjamin Sesko quietly coming around to play about as well as any Premier League striker of late.
This coming summer transfer window, Man United are going to need to give Carrick or whoever manages the Red Devils next a lot more help in the midfield, and players like Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, and Carlos Baleba will be priorities to replace the likes of Ugarte, who belong nowhere near Man United.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.