If Michael Carrick is to be replaced, which Manchester United players could any replacement rely upon? We’ve ranked the squad on how trustworthy they might be for any new manager…

Barring something extreme and unlikely, Carrick seems set to be replaced during the upcoming international break, by which time the United executives hope to have got their s*** together.

Assuming the Red Devils don’t kick the Carrick can down the road any longer – his replacement has a perilous job on their hands, inheriting a poorly-assembled squad featuring several characters with contrasting priorities.

We’ve ranked the United squad based on how much trust a new manager might place in each player…

1) Carlos Baleba
The Cameroon midfielder has barely featured for United yet but already it is clear that Baleba will be one of the United players the new boss must build around. Which says more about everyone else than the £70million summer signing, but Baleba looks like being one of the few recruits that will go on to thrive at Old Trafford and, certainly, no one else at the club has his skillset.

2) Senne Lammens
His ranking here is not to say that Lammens has United’s goal locked down for seasons to come. But the Belgian is competent and low maintenance, certainly in comparison to his predecessor, which is important for any new manager given there are so many other issues to deal with as soon as he walks through the door.

3) Benjamin Sesko
The new manager has no choice but to trust Sesko, assuming this problematic shin issue can be resolved. The Slovenian is a huge miss to United just by virtue of being a proper centre-forward, even if he is yet to convince anyone that he can score as prolifically as the Red Devils hoped when they signed him in 2025. United need to sign a striker to supplement Sesko, not to replace him.

4) Bryan Mbeumo
If a new manager is appointed during the international break, then one thing we know almost for certain is that Mbeumo will be his starting centre-forward since there is literally no one else. Once that inexplicable oversight is resolved in the new year by Sesko’s return and the arrival of another striker, then Mbeumo can focus on his longer-term battle to keep his place ahead of Amad Diallo and Shea Lacey.

5) Matheus Cunha
Cunha was a huge hit in his first year but, like everyone else, the new season seems to have weighed down the attacker. It does not help that Cunha was thrust forward to fill the striker void before Carrick recognised what we already knew: that the Brazilian is not cut out to lead the line. Cunha, though, is way down the list of problems for a new manager to solve and should be one of the first names on his first team-sheet.

6) Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo has more credit than most at Old Trafford on account of his academy graduate status and there’s no doubt that there is a very high-quality midfielder there. But reserves of patience are not unlimited, and Mainoo needs to offer the new manager more than just glimpses. Can the England midfielder form a double pivot, or does he need to play higher as an 8? Really, Mainoo should be able to do both, especially now United have a mobile midfield partner for him. Amorim cannot be allowed to be right about him.

7) Leny Yoro
This season was already huge for Yoro but with two senior centre-backs creeping towards the exit door, it could make or break his career at Old Trafford which, up to this summer, has been underwhelming – that is putting it nicely. The youngster has gained France recognition recently and has shown glimpses of the form that made United move uncharacteristically decisively to steal him from under Real Madrid’s nose. If he can gain and – crucially – retain the faith of any new manager, Yoro could become a mainstay. But he needs to rise above the incompetence around him and we’re yet to be fully convinced he has that in him.

8) Youri Tielemans
Bruno Fernandes’ anticipated exit increases the importance of Tielemans in an advanced midfield role. Replacing the captain’s creative output is too tall an order, but the Belgian can offer a different take on the no.10 role. Which is handy because as we’ve seen already, he’s not cut out for being one half of a double pivot.

9) Shea Lacey
United fans are pinning many hopes on Lacey for many reasons other than his obvious wing talent. One is that he is not JJ Gabriel and Lacey has clearly been keen to paint himself as the antithesis of the AWOL teenager. His youthful fearlessness off the right flank during his cameos is also in stark contrast to the stage fright being suffered by many of his more senior colleagues. But Lacey needs time and patience to make his own mistakes and grow into the Premier League, not thrust forward as the face of a club in dire need of a good news story. Does anyone trust this United to handle Lacey right? F*** no.

10) Matthijs de Ligt
De Ligt’s return from injury could be well-timed for any new manager after the international break. If he can stay fit, he should be one of the centre-backs to build around. That, though, is a bloody big ‘if’.

11) Amad Diallo
The winger has ‘faith’ that United will return to winning ways – drawing would be a start, fella – but questions remain over how prominent Amad might be in the process. His performances are certainly doing little to prompt an uptick in the Red Devils’ results. He needs to use the opportunity offered by Mbeumo vacating the right wing to cover for Sesko to sustain some much-improved form, be that for Carrick or anyone else. Diallo has it in him to achieve that, but it is certainly no foregone conclusion.

12) Andrey Santos
As one of United’s most recent recruits, Santos is going nowhere any time soon. So, as a matter of urgency, he needs to show the new manager and everyone else exactly what he can do because no one seems to know for sure.

13) Patrick Dorgu
The first thing any new manager must do with Dorgu is decide what he is: a winger, or a full-back? The Dane has showed glimpses in a deeper position, but is defensively very raw. Which is a problem for a side currently as rotten as United. In a more advanced role as a left winger, Dorgu has to shift Cunha. All of which points to a bit-part role for a player signed by Amorim for a system United no longer play.

14) Diogo Dalot
Many United fans have been longing to see the back of Dalot for years now but at least the Portugal defender is a willing sort. His shortcomings as a full-back on either side are not the consequence of a half-arsed attitude, and that bare minimum makes him more trustworthy than many in this sorry squad. And it’s not like any new manager has a heap of alternatives.

15) Noussair Mazraoui
The Moroccan is very handy to have about the place but his versatility is also a curse since rarely does anyone view Mazraoui as anything but a utility player. Keep him, sure. But rarely has the ex-Bayern star, who turns 29 this month, seemed set to nail down a regular starting role.

16) Harry Maguire
Of course United should have moved on from Maguire by now; that they haven’t says much about them, but also plenty about his character. In the short term, the centre-back is sure to feature heavily through the rest of the season, and we would not rule out another extension given how partial United are to a bodge job. Sure, Maguire can be trusted, but come next summer, it will be damning if that’s still necessary.

17) Ayden Heaven
No new manager should presume anything about Heaven – but he should give the young defender a chance to make a positive impression. Coming into this back four, at the base of a struggling side, is a tall order for any rookie – Heaven only turned 20 in September – and, understandably, the ex-Arsenal academy player has struggled for any consistency, in form, position and playing time.

18) Mason Mount
Another good egg, apparently, but woefully fragile. A new manager might trust his character but no one could hold any confidence in Mount’s availability. And, frankly, he hasn’t done enough with the opportunities he’s had to forge a career at Old Trafford.

19) Bruno Fernandes
The captain will be painted as the big call for the new manager but, more than likely, the decision will be taken out of his hands, either by a board unwilling to offer similar terms, or the player’s own desire to seek a new challenge. Which, frankly, he deserves – at a top European club if that’s what he wants. Fernandes has given everything to United for almost seven years and will go down as the best post-Ferguson signing. But he should depart on good terms, which looks less likely the longer he stays following a tipping point in Como.

20) Lisandro Martinez
In truly wretched form and surely on his way in the summer. United’s best hope of getting an improvement out of Martinez probably lies in his motivation to earn a half-decent move once he returns from suspension after the international break, but that’s not a contribution any new manager can build upon in the long term.

21) Luke Shaw
One of four regulars out of contract at the end of the season and it ought to be time to say goodbye. Last season’s ever-present contribution is very much the anomaly of his 13-term United career to date, which would make any new manager a fool to rely on Shaw in the meantime.

22) Joshua Zirkzee
Somehow still there. Which cannot remain the case by the end of any new manager’s first transfer window.

23) Manuel Ugarte
The Uruguayan’s knee injury won’t make it any easier to shift the midfielder – and he was already a tough sell having failed to show, well, anything since arriving from PSG in 2024. Especially with United now having numbers in midfield, the chances Ugarte will have upon his return from injury, likely next year, will be sorely limited.

24) Marcus Rashford
Rashford didn’t want to play for Amorim; he would far rather not play for Carrick; so he damn sure won’t fancy breaking a sweat for the new fella.