Michael Carrick's new change at Man Utd that may have wrecked Bruno Fernandes' plans
Michael Carrick has made yet another change at Manchester United during his spell as the club’s interim head coach. United face a lengthy wait before they return to Premier League action with the international break pausing top-flight football.
Carrickhas guided United to third place in the Premier League table with seven wins across his 10 games in charge since being appointed back in January.
That run of form has seen calls for Carrick to get the job on a permanent basis in the summer when United are expected to appoint a long-term successor to Ruben Amorim.
With seven Premier League matches left to play, Carrick has put United in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League and finish above rivals Liverpool and Chelsea.
• Man Utd change their mind on Roberto De Zerbi as Tottenham target's next job becomes clear
• Man Utd and Casemiro reach agreement on contract clause in major boost for Michael Carrick
The results on the pitch are evidence of the impact that Carrick has made and a fresh update has emerged providing an update on a change that the United interim boss has made behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
According to the Daily Mail, Carrick has adjusted the arrival times for the United players for home and away matches. For games at Old Trafford, the arrival time has been pushed back while for away matches it has been brought forward, the report claims.
As a result, United’s travelling matchday squad now arrives one hour and 45 minutes before kick-off for every matche, regardless of whether it's home or away.
FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE!
The report also claims that Carrick has introduced a pre-match walk to be taken around the team hotel at 12pm for the squad on a matchday.
It has been stated that it’s uncertain if this change affected the plans of United captain Bruno Fernandes before the 2-2 draw away at Bournemouth last week.
Fernandes revealed back in October that he and United goalkeeper Tom Heaton take a walk on the beach at Bournemouth before every away match at the Vitality Stadium.
“I have seen one [a beach], sorry, in Bournemouth,” Fernandes told The Athletic last October. “Every time we play there, I go for a walk with Tom Heaton.”
United will now prepare for a return to Premier League action after the international break, but will have to wait for the Monday Night Football on April 13 before they are back on the pitch given they are not one of the sides remaining in the FA Cup.
United have several members of their squad away on international duty, but some players have remained at Carrington rather than link up with their respective national teams.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon) and Benjamin Sesko (Slovenia) were both withdrawn from their national team squads with minor fitness issues and will instead use the international break to work on their fitness ahead of the return of Premier League football next month.