Brings best out of Mainoo: Carrick must not bench £60m Man Utd star vs West Ham

Manchester United are preparing for a crucial trip to London to take on West Ham United on Tuesday night.

Confidence is surging through Old Trafford, with the Red Devils riding a wave of four consecutive Premier League victories.

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday sealed yet another vital three points for United.

With a quick turnaround between fixtures, caretaker head coach Michael Carrick faces a delicate balancing act as he looks to name a strong yet refreshed starting XI.

There will inevitably be growing calls for Carrick to rest Casemiro against the Hammers.

At 33, it would be unrealistic to demand relentless, high-octane intensity from the Brazilian every few days.

In an ideal scenario, Carrick could manage Casemiro’s minutes by starting him on the bench and introducing him later if needed.

However, United simply do not have that luxury at present.

Casemiro is in the form of his life, anchoring the midfield perfectly alongside Kobbie Mainoo, guarding the defence with his tackles and helping the team attack with vertical passes from deep.

Mainoo has looked exceptional under Carrick and a major credit of his performances should go to his partnership with Casemiro.

The former Real Madrid star has won man of the match awards in victories against Manchester City and Fulham.

He also played a decisive role in high-profile victories over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Against Spurs, Casemiro fired three shots on target and could easily have found the net on another day.

One thunderous long-range effort forced Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario into a full-stretch diving save to his right.

Another effort from a corner routine saw Vicario claw the ball over the crossbar to deny him again.

He made four defensive contributions and won two duels.

Manuel Ugarte offers an alternative, but he is not a natural, disciplined number six.

The Uruguayan thrives on vacating his position to hunt the ball and press aggressively, which can leave spaces behind him.

Another limitation is his lack of consistent, incisive forward passing from deep areas.

For that reason, it would be wise for Carrick to start the £60 million signing once again and manage his workload by withdrawing him around the hour mark if fatigue sets in.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .