Published: 10:00, 1 March 2026 | Updated: 10:00, 1 March 2026

Some of the snap takeaways from Michael Carrick's succession of Ruben Amorim include that Manchester United can win matches in some style, the academy's importance has been underscored by Carrick and his staff, and it's still really hard to win five in a row so a fan in Spain can cut his hair.

Carrick is six games into his return to the club and his record stands at five wins and one draw, with only West Ham United preventing a 100 per cent win rate.

Some of those wins have been emphatic, namely Manchester City at home. Others have been more fortunate, such as Fulham at home and Everton away.

'You learn more from defeats than you do from victories,' Sir Alex Ferguson, legendary former United boss, wrote in his book 'Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United'.

Ferguson isn't wrong and much will have been learned from the 'poorer' displays away to West Ham and Everton.

But there has also been plenty to glean from the half-dozen games under...