Gary Neville admits Michael Carrick stealing Ruben Amorim's plan 'paid off'

Gary Neville joked that it was "cheeky" of Michael Carrick to revert to Ruben Amorim's back three system to help Manchester United see off Brentford, but it ultimately paid off. The Red Devils further tightened their grip on the Champions League places with a win on Monday night, leaving them 11 points clear of sixth with four games remaining. Goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko set United on their way to three points, but they endured a nervy finish when their opponents scored in the 87th minute through Mathias Jensen. In an effort to sure things up and see out the game Carrick dropped another player into his backline. It left United looking like they had during the Amorim era, with three central defenders in situ. Leny Yoro came on for Luke Shaw and played alongside Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven. The system had proved unpopular and unsuccessful under the previous coach, who showed little to no desire to change his ways despite results going against the team. On this occasion it helped United see out the game, with Neville seeing it a smart play. He said on his podcast : "It was a really pragmatic safe way. We've won the game already, Brentford look quite dangerous and they're creating a lot of chances going forward so we need to nullify that and to be fair they did that in the second-half. "Little bit cheeky going to Ruben Amorim's system, the 5-2-3, but these players have played that a lot this season and they know it and I think the extra player at the back paid off. Man Utd didn't concede because of the extra player, it was more the midfield didn't quite get to Jensen. I think the Man Utd fans understood what he was doing in the second-half, they understood that their team were winning 2-0 but it could easily have been 2-2." Carrick has enjoyed huge success since taking charge in January, which has largely stemmed from playing players in positions they are more accustomed to. United were by no means expected to mount a Champions League charge but have done so following their renaissance, but their current head coach was keen to keep a lid on that achievement. "The Champions League is one thing but it’s not something that we should be over-celebrating either," he said. "We want to be challenging higher up the league and get more points. Our season doesn’t get to a close when [Champions League qualification] happens. It is one thing, we need to try and achieve it but there is still more work to be done." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.