Michael Carrick's first Manchester United XI hinges on one big decision

Michael Carrick will oversee his first game back in charge of Manchester United on Saturday when Manchester City visit in the Premier League for a tantalising derby

Michael Carrick had two Premier League games in charge of Manchester United during his caretaker spell in 2021. The opponents? Arsenal and Chelsea.

Five years on, Carrick is back in the dugout at United and this time it's Manchester City first up. The derby at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime is jam-packed with narrative as Pep Guardiola brings his Blues, unbeaten in 13 games and chasing down Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, across Manchester.

Carrick oversaw his first United training session on Wednesday and will have had limited time working with the players and faces some tough decisions with his first selection. Bryan Mbeumo and Amad are back from Africa Cup of Nations duty and the new manager must decide whether to put both straight into the XI.

If he does, then someone has to make way. That could be Mathues Cunha if Carrick deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation and opts for Bruno Fernandes as a number 10 behind Benjamin Sesko. Cunha hasn't quite hit his straps since joining in the summer and is the most vulnerable attack-minded player at risk of dropping out.

Carrick's other option would be to play Fernandes as part of the central midfield two, most likely alongside Casemiro. That would allow space for Cunha further forward but no room for Kobbie Mainoo, who started both of Darren Fletcher's two matches in charge. The youngster was overlooked in the main by Ruben Amorim and will be hoping a change of manager represents a change in fortunes.

The risk with playing Fernandes further back is the danger of City overrunning the United midfield with their pace, power and possession. Mainoo may not be a natural holding player, but he is more defensively aware than his skipper and played a similar role in England's run to the final of the last European Championships.

It's an early call for Carrick that could define his first game. He'll hope to get it right.