Michael Carrick: Why new Man Utd staff is best ‘balance’ of personnel

• Steve Holland: Assistant to Gareth Southgate with England for eight years, during which time they reached the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. Worked in Crewe’s famous youth system before becoming First Team Coach. After working in Stoke’s Academy, became Reserves Manager at Chelsea, winning a league title in 2011. Promoted into first-team set-up as club won 2012 Champions League, before becoming Assistant Manager of England U21s and then seniors. Most recent job was as Manager of Yokohama Marinos in Japan, but sacked in April after only four months after winning just one of 11 games.
• Jonathan Woodgate: Former England centre-half worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough, where he started his own playing career and had two other spells. Also played for Leeds United, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Tottenham and Stoke, as well as winning eight international caps. Managed Middlesbrough and AFC Bournemouth, before returning to the Riverside to work as First Team Coach under Carrick.
• Travis Binnion: Has been at Manchester United since 2019, when he became Head of Player Development for the U14s to U16s. Appointed U18s Head Coach in 2021, winning the FA Youth Cup in 2022, and then U21s boss in July 2023. Before that, was Academy Manager at Sheffield United.
• Jonny Evans: Started and finished his playing career at Manchester United, retiring last summer. In-between his two playing spells at Old Trafford, he also played on loan for Royal Antwerp and Sunderland and had permanent spells at West Brom and Leicester. Is Northern Ireland’s fourth most-capped player, having represented his country 107 times. Was Loans Manager at United for four months before stepping down in  December. 
• Craig Mawson: Assistant Goalkeeping Coach at United since 2019, when he arrived from Burnley. Played as a goalkeeper, mainly in non-league, making most of his appearances for Morecambe. Goalkeeper Coach Jorge Vital left United with Head Coach Ruben Amorim earlier this month.

Carrick said: “With the staff it was important to be able to pull on different characters, different dynamics, different experiences as well. 

“Steve’s got an unbelievable wealth of experience – massive, massive experiences at Chelsea in terms of going through similar situations to this, changeover of manager and coach and dealing with that and staying successful.

“Jonathan I’ve known and he’s loyal, he’s very knowledgeable; he’s the perfect balance to me personally. I think that’s important, I don’t want all the same. He challenges me, he pushes me. He has done for the last three years and he’ll keep doing that.

“Trav – I think this club’s about young players and producing young players and having a line with the Academy and a pathway; to understand what it means in helping young players develop and push the young players when they need to be pushed. He’s going to have a massive part of that.

“Jonny’s someone who’s close to me. Everything he stands for I respect and appreciate. He’s got unbelievable knowledge, he’s come through the whole thing in this football club and he gets it and he understands the day to day.

“He’s got massive amount of experience to pass on to the players as well. So I think there’s a real balance of personalities, of characters, of knowledge and experience and I’m really, really happy with what we’re going into.

“Because it’s a big job, big role, a lot of work to do and we feel that we can do it.”

Darren Fletcher, who was in interim charge of the first team for two matches, will now resume his coaching role with the U18s, while Tom Curtis will continue to take charge of the U21s following Binnion’s promotion.

Curtis has been Head of Player Development for the Youth Development Phase (U13s to U16s) at United since November 2024 and took charge of the 21s for their win at Wolves in Premier League 2 on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is flying into Manchester to meet Joel and Avram Glazer at Manchester United’s latest Executive Committee Meeting.

United’s co-owners are set for face-to-face talks at Carrington to discuss the latest developments at the club after Amorim’s dismissal and Carrick’s appointment as Interim Head Coach. 

The meetings are usually held in Monaco, but have been moved to Manchester to give Ratcliffe and the Glazers a chance to speak to Carrick and his staff. This will be the first time Joel and Avram Glazer have visited the new main building at United’s revamped training ground.

“You take them around the world, you’re involved in the schooling, the physical, psychological, development, parental workshop. You’re trying to affect them on so many levels and that’s a big responsibility. You’re aiming for them to have a really wide skillset that makes them more likely to succeed than their peer who didn’t come into the system.

“If we can all do that as Academies then we’re having a positive impact beyond football, impacting communities.”

Maguire grew up in Mosborough in east Sheffield and entered the Blades’ Academy at 10. First-team opportunities were offered to him at a young age.

“Opportunity is everything,” said Binnion. “You can have an unbelievable programme, but if opportunity isn’t there at the end it doesn’t matter. You have kids’ careers in your hands and have to take a pride in them transitioning.”

Maguire made his first-team debut in April 2011 against Cardiff City, just a month after he had turned 18. Despite coming on as a half-time substitute, he was named man of the match. By the time he ran out in the Youth Cup final against Manchester United a few weeks later, he had already made five senior appearances.

By the age of 20, Maguire had made 100 senior starts. In comparison, Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who had also made his first-team debut at 18, had only played 31 games after his first three seasons.

“Sometimes I look at the U23 games and wonder what clubs are getting out of them,” said Binnion. “Clubs are winning matches at that level but fielding old teams. By the same ages, our lads had been getting 50, even 100 senior games.

“You learn by playing with players who are better than you at an intensity that’s higher than you have played at before.

“You have to be tough enough to go into that environment and survive. You want the lads to be humble enough to learn but tough enough to survive. Most 18-year-olds aren’t subjected to those kinds of demands, are they, which is why you are having to produce unbelievable people at Academies.

“You also have to remember that the best coaches are senior players. They’re teaching and guiding you – both by example and what they show and tell you – in the heat of competition. Nothing matches that.”

Binnion, who grew up in Chesterfield, also outlined his ambitions for the future.

“I want to implement everything I’ve learned and put that into action in a different situation and also learn,” he said. “I’ve always worked at one club in one setting so am excited about doing that, because I’m passionate about developing players and people.”

He argued that the core of effective coaching remained “how you connect with people” and admitted he worried that young coaches today “don’t get their hands dirty enough” by putting in the hours on the training pitch.

And he was “sick of people talking about ‘old school’.”

“What is old school? Good values? Running hard, working, listening? Being responsible, resilient and honest? These are the qualities you want throughout the generations and then you pick the best of what’s available in terms of sports science or tech to add to that.”