His approach was the polar opposite to that of his predecessor, Ruben Amorim, whose initial bullishness about doing things his way was laudable, but then became something of a sticking point when it was clear things weren't working and he was falling out with players left, right and centre.
Maguire's professionalism can't be questioned
Not quite going back to basics, Carrick used an approach of mutual respect to earn the trust and willingness of his playing staff, and results quickly followed.
Simple and effective.
One of those players who could always be relied upon to deliver for his manager is Harry Maguire. Though the centre-back has his detractors, his professionalism can't be questioned, and Carrick quickly tapped into that, and to his experience.
A solid showing throughout 2025/26 couldn't earn him a call-up into Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad, which was something of a surprise, but perhaps even more galling than that for the player is the news that United have touted his potential availability to Inter.
According to various sources in Italy, intermediaries have offered the 33-year-old to the Nerazzurri, despite him having only recently signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
Man Utd tried to move Maguire on once before
Perhaps the knowledge of still being able to command a fee for him this summer is what's behind the Red Devils' desire to potentially move Maguire on, rather than losing him for next to nothing in January or on a free transfer next summer.
Either way, considering his importance to the squad, it still seems an odd decision to make at this point.
For example, who can forget his late intervention at Anfield to put one of many spokes into Liverpool's Premier League title defence.
Not that his goalscoring exploits will be what he's remembered for, of course.
Lest we forget that it wasn't too long ago, under Erik ten Hag, that Maguire had seemingly become persona non grata and a deal had been agreed with West Ham to take the player to East London.
Confidence in his own ability
To his credit, Maguire refused to leave and instead wanted to prove he was good enough to win his place back at United.
Such an attitude takes bravery, guts and a complete belief in your own abilities, and whilst the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez have had their moments, injuries and loss of form have meant that Maguire has been arguably United's most reliable centre-back.
His numbers in the most recent season alone make for good reading, too.
No one else in the entire United squad could top, or even come close to, Maguire's 78.26% tackle success rate, whilst he was also the only Red Devil to make over a century of clearances (114).
71 headed clearances were 15 more than his nearest rival in the squad (Luke Shaw, 56), whilst only Benjamin Sesko, Noussair Mazraoui and Senne Lammens lost fewer tackles than Maguire's four unsuccessful attempts.
Many attributes
In terms of one-on-one duels with regard to United's outfield players, the 33-year-old's 70.67% success was another best-in-class showing, though it should be pointed out that his 150 attempts were significantly down on those of some teammates.
85 aerial duels contested placed him joint fifth amongst the squad last season, though only Sesko (70) won more than Maguire's 65.
Even his pass completion rate of 86.41% places him as the seventh-best passer in the squad, which is no mean feat given that he's not necessarily renowned for his passing game.
Perhaps the biggest attribute he offers, however, is his experience and desire. That gutsy will-to-win was sorely lacking from some players in the worst of times for United, but Maguire always stood tall.
Has Carrick got it wrong?
That sort of application is priceless, and whilst it's accepted that he's getting no younger, there's still life in the old dog yet.
Perhaps there'll be a change of heart in the United camp which would allow Maguire to see out his career at Old Trafford, but if they are indeed looking to go in a new direction, whoever comes in to replace him has awfully big shoes to fill.
For Carrick, he got almost everything right from the moment he was unveiled as the caretaker manager until the last kick of last season.
He wouldn't want to unravel all of that good work with one ill-advised decision...
