United crying out for a new Carrick

AFTER defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, tomorrow night’s FA Cup tie against Chelesa is big for Manchester United. I don’t necessarily mean for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his prospects of getting the manager’s job full-time, but for the players.

They have been on a great run since Jose Mourinho left but two defeats in a row against elite opposition and the old question would resurface: Is it the manager who is really the problem or are the squad just not good enough?

I watched the PSG game with interest and there was one glaring weakness with United. They don’t have anyone in midfield who can dictate the tempo as Michael Carrick used to.

PSG did in Marco Verratti. I’ve been a big fan of his for years and he showed what United are desperately crying out for.

He’s so clever on the ball. He can slow the game down, or speed it up, according to his team’s need.

Nemanja Matic does the destructive side of the midfield job well, but he’s no Carrick.

Yes, Paul Pogba could do it, but why would you want to restrict him as a holding midfielder when he can cause problems further up.

At the moment, they are using Matic and Ander Herrera together in order to give Pogba freedom in a 4-3-3, but they are not as well-balanced a pair as Verratti-Marquinhos for PSG.

The right players aren’t easy to find. The next generation are showing promise and I’ll keep a close eye on Harry Winks and Declan Rice.

Is Rice a future Old Trafford star? He’s physically strong and only just turned 20, so let’s see.

United’s attacking players are always capable of scoring goals and may do so at Chelsea tomorrow night. But in these big games, control of midfield is key.

What a shame for Solskjaer that the guy sitting next to him in the dugout doesn’t play any more.