When the international break draws to a close, Manchester United’s players will have one sole focus on their minds: securing Champions League qualification by any means necessary.
And, credit to them, they’re certainly one of the major favourites to do so, but neither the squad, Michael Carrick, nor the fans will be wanting to get ahead of themselves and assume it’s a certainty with seven games left to play.
For the Reds, they return to action with a mouth-watering contest against arch-rivals Leeds United.
The reverse fixture, a 1-1 draw at Elland Road back at the beginning of January, marked the final game of Ruben Amorim’s tenure. Although it wasn’t a poor result per se, it was his post-match outbursts regarding his lack of control as manager that prompted INEOS to pull the plug the following day.
Darren Fletcher took the reins on a caretaker basis for two matches, after which Carrick was appointed as interim until the end of the season. Whether his tenure extends beyond that point and into 2026/2027 remains to be seen.
The former midfielder has enjoyed a sensational record since returning to the United dugout, with the side overseeing seven wins, two draws and one defeat in the 10 games he’s managed.
These have included unexpected triumphs over the top two in the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester City, with the former dealing the Gunners their first loss on home soil this campaign.
United proceeded to comfortably overturn the likes of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, but fell to a late, injury-time defeat to Newcastle on March 4 – before swiftly making amends via a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa the following week.
That result saw Carrick’s men move up to third in the table, where they remain heading into matchweek 32.
Meanwhile, Leeds will enter the clash having failed to win in any of their last five outings.
Manchester United tickets are still available for the Old Trafford encounter if you want to be part of what will be an electric atmosphere in M16.
Supporters of both teams will, however, have to wait longer than the rest of the league, as kick-off is pencilled in for 8pm on Monday, April 13 – yet another inconvenient time for match-going fans.
Carrick will also have to make do without Harry Maguire while the centre-half serves his one-game suspension, though there are hopes Lisandro Martinez will be back from his injury setback in time to partner youngster Leny Yoro at the back.
