Manchester United will be boosted by the returns of two players before facing Manchester City as Michael Carrick avoids one crisis but is set to face another
Jim Quinlan Sport Trends Writer
14:23, 14 Jan 2026
Manchester United stars Bryan Mbeumo and Amad, pictured when they faced one another at AFCON last month, are returning ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Manchester United’s selection issues are easing up, and just in time, as Michael Carrick makes his debut as the interim head coach in the next Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Saturday.
United have struggled to get one over on local rivals Manchester City in recent seasons, with just one win in last five meetings on home soil. The chapter in this old battle takes place at a time when the hosts have freshly made major upheavals to their coaching staff.
Former manager Ruben Amorim was dismissed at the start of the month. On Tuesday – four days before the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side – a deal was struck for former United midfielder Carrick to return as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
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“Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honour,” the ex-England international said upon returning. “I know what it takes to succeed here, my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know that this group is more than capable of producing.
“I have worked with a number of the players already and have obviously continued to watch the team closely in recent years, I have total belief in their talents, dedication and ability to be successful here.
“There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves.”
European qualification is still on the cards for United this season and Carrick will hope to make the best start possible in front of the club’s own supporters at Old Trafford. That is why he will welcome back African attackers Amad and Bryan Mbeumo with open arms ahead of the challenge that City pose.
Both players have been away since mid-December as they were called up to represent their respective countries at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Amad was with reigning champions Ivory Coast, while Mbeumo represented hopefuls Cameroon.
However it wasn’t to be for both suffered defeat at the quarter-final stage last weekend. Ivory Coast were eliminated by Egypt and Cameroon were eliminated by tournament hosts Morocco, who have fellow United star Noussair Mazraoui as part of their squad.
As tough as this setback will be for each personally, it means they can now resume their club campaign for 2025/26 by returning to a very different United to the one they left last month. Carrick is in charge and it could result in both returning players being pitted against one another for a starting position.
The interim coach is set to move away from Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation to play with a back-four. When he previously managed Middlesbrough, Carrick primarily lined up his team as a 4-2-3-1 shape.
The previous set-up allowed both players to start, with Mbeumo in attack ahead of Amad, who overlapped but was given more defensive requirements. Before they left for AFCON, the former managed seven goals and one assist in 17 appearances for United, whereas the latter provided two goals and two assists.
However, at AFCON it was Amad who was the more prolific. In an attacking role the 23-year-old scored three and assisted once in five outings, compared to Mbeumo’s one assist in as many appearances.
So, Carrick has a key decision on his hands as to who starts on the right flank when United go up against City this weekend.
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