Michael Carrick has named three players central to Man Utd’s best spell under Ruben Amorim

While away from coaching, Carrick has kept himself busy by making occasional appearances as a pundit.

He spoke about Amorim’s side during the manager’s brief three-game winning streak, which included wins over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton.

At the time, he highlighted three players who stood out to him: Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes.

“I’ve kind of got a smile on my face because when you get that moment as a footballer, and you get a connection with somebody, and some say it’s a wavelength, and you almost play off instinct,” Carrick explained.

“I kind of put it as you almost play with a smile and say because you enjoy playing with each other, and it looks like they’ve [Cunha, Fernandes, Mbeumo] found that connection and two of them have just arrived in the summer, Bruno’s been there for a period of time.

“It’s not just them three, but it feels that there’s something really fun about the way they want to play.”

Restoring the attacking link-up will be a focus

One of Carrick’s early objectives will be to reignite the spark he once saw between Cunha, Mbeumo, and Fernandes – a trio that briefly hinted at real promise.

Mbeumo, who has been away at AFCON, is now available again following Cameroon’s exit and could return just in time for the Manchester derby.

The partnership between him and Cunha has not had much time to develop this season, with injuries and other absences getting in the way.

Before Mbeumo left for international duty, they had only managed 56 per cent of United’s minutes together, and that figure has fallen further since then.

Carrick might finally have them both fit at the same time, but there is a wider issue to address: how to fit all of United’s attacking options into one side.

Alongside Cunha, Mbeumo, and Fernandes are Amad Diallo, Benjamin Sesko, and Mason Mount. Balancing minutes across that group will not be straightforward.