Michael Carrick could fall into the same trap as Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Man Utd's signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans hint at what Michael Carrick is planning next season.

There's a clip of Michael Carrick doing the rounds in which he explains his admiration for Paris Saint-Germain's style.

"I like the way they play with the midfield and the connections, and the short passing in the midfield, speed up front and the energy," he said.

Carrick described PSG as "fantastic" to watch. The 44-year-old didn't share any hot takes during the interview, but his comments offer a glimpse into how he envisions Manchester United eventually playing.

Carrick won more points than any other Premier League manager following his interim appointment, yet there is an expectation that he will shift away from the style that helped him secure his biggest wins in the new season.

Carrick outfoxed Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta in his first two matches in charge, but United had 32 per cent possession against Manchester City and 43 per cent against Arsenal.

The goal that kickstarted Carrick's tenure, the opener in the Manchester derby victory against City, was a ruthless counter-attack. Bruno Fernandes strode forward with purpose and Bryan Mbeumo finished.

United were a transitional team last season, and they were hugely effective, but no Premier League champion has claimed the crown by playing that brand of football over the last nine years. Chelsea were the last in 2017.

Guardiola's tenure changed English football indefinitely. Jurgen Klopp's title-winning Liverpool side was more blood and thunder in comparison to City, but they still dominated the ball in the vast majority of games.

United's transfer business suggests Carrick wants his side to control more matches, be on the front foot with possession, and rely on fewer transitions to hurt opponents, because, ultimately, recent history shows that is what must be done to win the league title.

Youri Tielemans is an exceptional passer of the ball. He will complement Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo perfectly if Carrick wants more control, while Andrey Santos is not just a 'win it and kick it' midfielder.

Santos has the skill set to play as a No.6 and a No.8. Tielemans is also seen as an all-rounder, so the new signings have been made with keeping the ball in mind.

Erik ten Hag had the same idea after his first season in charge of the club. Andre Onana was recruited to transform the team's build-up play, while Mason Mount was signed to play as a deeper midfielder.

Ten Hag wanted his United side to build from the back with a goalkeeper who had dazzled scouts with his feet in the previous Champions League campaign. He saw Mount as a high-energy technical conductor in midfield.

United began 2023/2024 by scraping a 1-0 victory against Wolves, but a defeat to Tottenham followed. Everything began to unravel, and most deemed the tactics unfit for purpose by the time Galatasaray beat United in the Champions League at the beginning of October.

Ten Hag survived a grim first half of the season, overseeing a positive run between January and February, and United stumbled to the FA Cup final after coming extraordinarily close to being knocked out by Coventry.

The biggest criticism of United was the kamikaze nature of their games. Ten Hag's attempt to shift the team's tactics to a more front-foot style backfired. There was no control. The midfield was a mess.

Ten Hag tweaked his tactics for the FA Cup final against City, and every player, to a man, was outstanding that day at Wembley, but United finished eighth in the league and it was obvious he needed to be sacked.

The lesson from Ten Hag's failure to shift the tactical approach was that the success of such an attempt will always live and die by recruitment. United simply did not sign the right players to facilitate the change.

That theory gives Carrick hope of getting it right next season, provided United's summer signings are successful, but sometimes the grass is not always greener, and maybe a drastic tactical shift isn't required at all.

It's not fashionable to play transitional football. The recent honours list in the Premier League suggests a possession-driven style is required, but how many good teams have tried to win it with a contrasting style in recent times?

United finished third in the league in Ten Hag's season and won the Carabao Cup. They were a more transitional side in that campaign and would have been better off continuing down that road, with the benefit of hindsight.

The point is that there are more than two ways to skin a cat. It would be fascinating to see Carrick lean into the transitional identity more, not move away from it, and see how far that would take United.

That's not going to happen, though. Carrick believes he can successfully help the team control more games, but perhaps it would be sensible to study his predecessors to see where he went wrong with his attempt.

There is an undeniable link to United and swift counter-attacking football. Some of the best performances of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign were ruthless, efficient displays. Football has changed, but principles can remain.

The key to Carrick's success next season will be getting the balance of the tactical shift right. Ten Hag paid the price after trying to do too much too soon.

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