Carrick must remove 5/10 Man Utd man

Where was Manchester United all this time?

It was as complete a victory as you’ll see in the Premier League this season. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were blown away, left in tatters, by a masterclass from new interim boss Michael Carrick

City were outplayed and outplayed. They had no answer for the intensity of the home team. Penny for the thoughts of Ruben Amorim; the recently sacked Portuguese coach must be scratching his head at this display, his project being so far removed from the basic ferocity we have just witnessed.

It’s been a difficult campaign for the Red Devils, of course, but United’s victory saw them leapfrog fourth-placed Liverpool ahead of the struggling champions’ home game against Burnley, and many of Carrick’s stars repaid their faith with excellent efforts.

Man United’s best players in the derby

Where else could we start if not with Kobbie Mainoo, who has been excluded from action under Amorim’s wing but proved against City that he has what it takes to become a Manchester United mainstay.

Hailed as a “special gem of a footballer” by one content creator, the England international, still only 20, is set to gain plenty of minutes in the future, hopefully strengthening the middle of the park and allowing skipper Bruno Fernandes, in his natural berth,

Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu scored the goals. Thanks, in particular, to the latter, who has struggled since arriving from Lecce in Serie A in England, but in an unnatural place on the left wing he put in a monstrous display, winning ten duels and making nine ball recoveries in an active display, according to Sofascore.

Carrick also deserves credit for being the engineer of this strong, balanced lineup, getting far more out of his players in an afternoon – against elite opponents – than his predecessor.

The United legend united the club, but not everyone did their part, with one star showing he was a weak link and needed to be removed in the future.

Why Carrick must immediately drop Man Utd dud

Man United dismantled their pesky neighbors but the story could have been very different had Diogo Dalot been given his marching orders after a reckless challenge early on.

The prop struggled for a while, although there is no doubt he could have breathed a sigh of relief after Amorim’s dismissal, reverting to a more conventional four-man defence.

The truth is that Dalot was indeed lucky to still be on the field after a stud challenge missed the ball and found Jeremy Doku’s knee in the first half. It was Dalot’s poor timing that saved him, with the ‘glancing’ contact deemed harmless enough to avoid a red card.

But that wasn’t all. Dalot missed an easy pass on the break in the first half, hitting the ball as Amad Diallo slipped into space on the right flank.

The Portugal international will count his blessing on United’s performance, as a defeat in Carrick’s first game in the dugout would have sparked a fiery response from a desperate and dispirited fan base.

Defensively, for the most part, Dalot did his part. However, the 26-year-old was ineffective on the ball, with GOAL giving him a match rating of 5/10 as he emerged as a weak link.

Poor in possession, he failed to create a single chance or record a single dribble, still losing the ball every 3.7 touches on average.

Just over a year ago, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher branded Dalot a “huge problem” in Amorim’s squad. He was deemed unsuitable for the back five setup.

Now Man United appear to have turned a corner, but the £85,000-a-week defender just isn’t showing he has what it takes to rise alongside his teammates, and for that he needs to be cut.

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