Michael Carrick has already shown plenty in his short time as Man Utd manager, but the trip to West Ham presents a new kind of challenge, especially after the recent injury scare involving Bryan Mbeumo .
Wins over Arsenal and Man City have already given him some early credibility. Spurs were also broken down in a way that Ruben Amorim could not manage against ten-man Everton , and the threat Fulham posed on the break was handled with care.
However, Man Utd have not had much luck at West Ham recently, so Carrick will not be taking anything for granted. There are good reasons for that too.
This will be his first time facing a test like this as Man Utd manager, and Mbeumo's situation underlined how important it is to get things right.
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So far, Carrick has enjoyed a calm start to life at Old Trafford, preparing for games with a full week in between, apart from the City match where motivation was not an issue.
Since then, matches against Arsenal, Fulham and Spurs have all fallen on weekends, giving the English head coach and his staff plenty of time to work with a settled squad.
This has led to him naming an unchanged side in the last two fixtures, and it might have been three if not for Patrick Dorgu 's injury.
The weekly game schedule provides ample recovery time, enabling the players to maintain fitness and develop strong team chemistry.
But West Ham United are up next, with a tight turnaround of only about 72 hours.
Mbeumo gave Carrick a bit of an injury scare after being seen limping post-Spurs. Now the manager is set for his first real test in managing squad rotation.
If he navigates this stretch well – especially with Champions League qualification looking more likely by the week – it will go a long way towards validating his approach.
The importance of this match goes beyond just points or position – it is another chance for Carrick to separate himself from comparisons to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Despite the Norwegian having built his reputation as a super-sub during his playing days, his squad management was often highlighted as a weakness during his time in charge.
He leaned heavily on his preferred starting XI, leaving others out of favour, and when those players were called upon, the difference in quality was noticeable.
Carrick will not have many more fixtures this season with such little time between games, so this is an opportunity to get his rotation decisions right.
If he can make some smart changes to the line-up and show tactical flexibility, it could be just as impressive as the wins over City and Arsenal.
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