Amass and success under Carrick
· Yahoo Sports
In the third part of our special Q&A, Manchester United reporter Simon Stone looks at defenders Luke Shaw and Harry Amass, and what success would look like in a first full season under head coach Michael Carrick.
Haydn asked: A lot of people say we need to sign a left-back as cover for or succession to Shaw but Amass is almost never mentioned in either conversation. Why do you think this is and could next season be a big opportunity for him?
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Simon: The first point with Amass is he needs to prove his fitness after suffering the hamstring injury almost straight after joining Norwich on loan in January that was so severe it ended his season.
I don't know this for certain but I would have thought he is likely to be involved in the first stages of pre-season and United will take it from there. I do like Amass and he did really well in the first half of the campaign at Sheffield Wednesday.
However, you have to recognise the levels we are talking about here. Ideally, United need someone to challenge Shaw for his place and at the very least be able to deputise in the Premier League and/or Champions League.
It is possible Shaw doesn't even start as many games as he did this season because of a lack of preparation time - and there are more matches. I am not sure even a fully recovered Amass is up to that standard just yet.
Nigel asked: What do you think would constitute a successful first full season for Carrick?
Simon: I honestly think another third-place finish with a decent run in the Champions League and at least going close in a domestic cup would represent a superb season - and a big improvement on last term.
I don't think the benefit of playing one game a week - and not even that sometimes - can be overestimated, and Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle all benefit in 2026-27.
More games means more travel, which means less preparation time, more rotation, greater risk of injury and more stress on the players. I don't see Arsenal regressing massively, I assume Liverpool will improve and Manchester City will want to hit the ground running under their new manager.
Third may seem like treading water but, under the circumstances, I feel it would be a significant step forward - and a platform to challenge for the title in 2027-28.
Keep across this page on Wednesday for the final part of Simon's Q&A, which will look at subjects including the Glazers and Ineos.