If there's one thing that Michael Carrick has brought to Manchester United since taking charge as head coach last month, it's stability. Man United have seen a serious uptick in form since his hiring, but more importantly, the onslaught of pessimism that surrounded the club has been subdued.
United are 4 wins from 5 since Carrick's hiring, and Carrick's team selection is part of the reason that stability has returned to Old Trafford. Carrick has fielded an unchanged team for the last three games, and the omly major change has come from the unfortunate injury of Patrick Dorgu.
Carrick immediately found his favoured starting XI, and with no midweek European or cup games, he had the luxury of always having his favoured players fit and sharp, rather than ran rugged by a chaotic schedule. The unintended consequence of this is, unfortunately, reduced opportunities for fringe players, and this has hit the worst for two youngsters: Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are being snubbed by Michael Carrick
Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are both young centre backs who arrived at United only six months apart from each other, but under very different circumstances. Yoro was touted as one of the best young defenders in the world, and was prized from the hands of Real Madrid when United snatched him up for £52.2m.
Ayden Heaven, on the other hand, was purchased from Arsenal's academy with only one professional appearance under his belt for a minimal fee. Expectations for Heaven were initially fairly low, whereas expectations for Yoro were sky-high. Both have had their moments at Old Trafford, and both display ability and maturity well beyond their years.
Unfortunately for them, the sacking of Ruben Amorm has massively hurt their game time. The switch from Ruben Amorim's back three formation to Michael Carrick's back four means one less centre-back on the pitch. Couple that with the FA Cup loss to Brighton which reduced United's fixture list, and Carrick's consistent team selection, Yoro and Heaven are suddenly confined to the bench.
Michael Carrick seems to favour the experience of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez as his centre backs. Yoro has only managed 23 minutes since Michael Carrick took charge, all off the bench, and Ayden Heaven has only played 1, the last minute of the Manchester derby in January.
It's a terrible shame. Both are excellent footballers with bags of potential, and need game time under their belt. Carrick is in a difficult position. United, to everyone's surprise, do have something to fight for this season: Champions League football is within their grasp. Minutes to young squad players is a luxury that United are struggling to afford right now.
That being said, these players deserve a chance in the team. Yoro especially has looked capable in his cameos this season. It's at least comforting to know that if one of United's centre backs go down with an injury, their replacements can be relied on.