Manchester United continue to make progress following the exit of Ruben Amorim

Let’s get some facts there.

Manchester United won their third consecutive Premier League match, in the third match of Carrick’s second spell. It took Amorim 36 years to do so, and he only once managed three successive wins – or even back-to-back wins – during his 14 months at Old Trafford.

In response to wins by Chelsea and Liverpool the day before, United moved back to fourth in the table. Amorim did not place them very highly at the end of the match round.

Including his first spell in 2021, Carrick has now won four of his five league matches.

He is the third United manager to achieve this, after Sir Matt Busby in 1946 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019. It took Amorim 12 league games to win four – and they won one of the next 10. Amorim’s record of 1.23 points per game in the Premier League is the lowest of all United managers since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Then there is the formation – and the individuals.

United clearly haven’t solved their defensive weaknesses, but switching to a back four instead of a three didn’t make matters worse.

This fundamental tactical shift from the Amorim system was key in creating the space for Kobe Maino’s return. Maino has failed to start a single league match under Amorim this season after coming into direct competition with captain Bruno Fernandes for a starting place.

Maino kicked off during the Fulham match. Defensively, supposedly his weakness, he was solid. His forward passing and ability to find space was invaluable as Carrick’s side looked to find ways to break down opposition defences.

“Kobe did very well today in many ways,” Carrick said.

“There was a lot of work for Kobe and Casemiro to do in midfield. It was without the ball, and I thought he was great with that.

“As for the ball, and I’ve talked about it before, he’s not bothered.

“He understands what is needed and brings moments of quality.

“That’s what we expect from him, but you forget how young he is.

He added: “He still has a lot to do, but seeing him today playing with this kind of confidence in their belief is a real pleasure.”