Victory in the Carabao Cup does not leave Man United players free

MANCHESTER – It was one of the strangest scenes of a strange season at Manchester United. Shortly after the 5-2 Carabao Cup win over Leicester City at Old Trafford in the first game since the sacking of coach Erik ten Hag, the players completed a lap of honor before leaving the pitch.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the interim coach, was already back in the dressing room, having stopped briefly to applaud the fans and celebrate the victory with clenched fists before heading up the players' tunnel.

But despite finishing 14th in the Premier League and yet another manager having to pay the price for their lack of performance, the players made sure they took advantage of every second of applause as they saluted the four sides of the stadium.

Maybe they just wanted some recognition and a rare moment of success this season. Not to mention it was a comfortable win against a middling Leicester side – any win is enough for United these days.

“Suddenly we had a bit of luck on our side,” said Van Nistelrooy. “Today was a great day.”

But while United wait for Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim to confirm his departure from the Portuguese champions to replace Ten Hag, United are negotiating a deal with Sporting to secure his release after his €10 million release clause was exceeded – Van Nistelrooy and the players have done their part to paint a picture of normality following Ten Hag's departure.

It's usually the same when a manager is fired. The team receives an instant boost and morale boost, enough to achieve a much-needed victory, but in most cases this proves to be an illusion. The failings that led to the previous manager's dismissal soon reoccur, and the new manager quickly realizes that the job he took over has become vacant for the simple reason that the players haven't played often enough .

That is the harsh reality of Manchester United at the moment. In fact, it's been pretty much the same since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013 after winning 13 Premier League titles in 20 years.

This Van Nistelrooy became the ninth Which manager has taken over team selection at United since Ferguson's resignation is a damning statistic. Ten Hag became the fifth permanent manager to lose his job at United since Ferguson's departure. Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick all took over temporarily before Van Nistelrooy took over the position.

If United manage to sign Amorim before Sunday's home game against Chelsea, it may only be a one-game deal for Van Nistelrooy, but according to sources there is a likelihood that the former PSV Eindhoven manager will still be available this weekend ESPN said “patience” will be required before negotiations with Sporting come to a conclusion.

But at least Van Nistelrooy secured a win – only United's fifth of the season. Ten Hag's dismal record this season was the reason for his sacking, but while his tactics and decision-making became increasingly erratic, there is no doubt that many of his players performed significantly below par and contributed to him losing his job.

However, don't be fooled into thinking that this win was proof that United are ready to turn things around.

Yes, Casemiro had his best performance of the season, scoring two goals and contributing to another, and captain Bruno Fernandes was also impressive.

But Leicester's two goals, from Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady, once again highlighted United's defensive problems, and there were plenty of other moments when Steve Cooper's team created chances and could have scored more goals. The two occasions on which Jordan Ayew easily dispossessed Victor Lindelöf and Manuel Ugarte will have worried Van Nistelrooy and will worry Amorim if he can watch the replay of that game.

It's an unbalanced United squad, but their players are certainly capable of doing much better.

They may even continue their recovery with a win against Chelsea at the weekend, but if or when Amorim takes charge he would be wise to trust this group of players to produce consistent performances. They didn't do that at Ten Hag and the evidence from 90 minutes against Leicester isn't enough to suggest Van Nistelrooy found a missing ingredient.

There were no major team changes and no tactical adjustments. It was the same players and the same formation that had delivered so many poor results and performances for Ten Hag. So it will take a lot more to convince anyone that United are suddenly primed for a rise up the table following Ten Hag's departure.

Amorim will know this. He will watch United's games, study the data and figure out which players can survive the new regime and which are past their sell-by date.

But at least United won. Casemiro will be happy with his two goals, as will Fernandes, who also scored twice, while Alejandro Garnacho scored United's second.

However, this game did not provide a clear picture of United's state, and that had nothing to do with the fog that hovered over Old Trafford on Wednesday.