Carrick needs his £80m Man Utd warrior vs Arsenal, started only once in two months

Manchester United are riding a wave of confidence after a magical 2-0 derby victory over local rivals Manchester City last Saturday.

That result has injected fresh belief into the squad as caretaker head coach Michael Carrick eyes a late push for Champions League qualification with 16 Premier League games still to play.

The Red Devils currently sit fifth in the table, just one point adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool.

Crucially for United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea all dropped points last weekend, tightening the top-four battle and adding further intrigue.

Attention now turns to a daunting trip to north London, where United face Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners already appear to have one hand on the Premier League trophy, boasting a commanding seven-point cushion at the summit.

Carrick’s side will need to summon another near-perfect display if they are to leave the Emirates with a positive result.

One area where Arsenal have been particularly ruthless this season is from set-pieces.

In fact, the Gunners have dropped points in seven league matches when they failed to score from dead-ball situations, underlining how vital they are to their success.

With that in mind, starting Harry Maguire could be a calculated necessity for Carrick to reduce the aerial threat.

Maguire could play a key role vs Arsenal

Standing at 6ft 4in, Maguire is one of the most dominant defenders in the air and poses a threat in both penalty areas.

He demonstrated that influence to telling effect against City.

United scored their first goal through a swift counter-attack that began deep inside their own half.

Maguire rose highest to head a City free-kick into Bryan Mbeumo’s path, who fed Bruno Fernandes before receiving the return pass to finish clinically.

The England international also came agonisingly close to scoring himself when Fernandes delivered a pinpoint corner to the far post.

Maguire met the cross cleanly, but his powerful header crashed against the crossbar.

Carrick later revealed that Maguire had trained for only a couple of days after returning from a two-month injury layoff.

There were also concerns when the centre-back appeared to pick up a knock while challenging Erling Haaland in the second half.

Even if he is not at full fitness, Carrick may feel compelled to roll the dice and start the £80 million defender once again.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .