Story by[]Simon Stone - Manchester United reporterWed, January 21, 2026 at 8:32 AM UTC·1 min readManchester United caretaker boss Michael Carrick was an interested spectator at Leigh Sports Village on Tuesday night as the club's under-21 side beat Sporting in the Premier League International Cup. Carrick was accompanied by coaches Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion, who was in charge of the U21s until he was asked to step up to the seniors following Ruben Amorim's dismissal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDarren Fletcher, now back with the under-18s after his two -game spell as interim boss, was also there, watching twin sons Jack and Tyler. United won 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Gibraltar international James Scanlon, who has been looking for a loan move away from Old Trafford this month. Shea Lacey, who has made two first-team appearances but was sent off in the FA Cup defeat by Brighton, was not involved, even though he scored twice in the Premier League 2 win over Fulham on Friday, and neither was England Under-19 international Bendito Mantato, who has also been involved in the senior set-up recently. Woodgate was seen having a particularly detailed conversation with Binnion at half-time about one of the United youngsters he had just watched. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUnited have now completed all four group matches in the competition but, depending on the outcome of matches over the rest of this week, may have to wait until next month before finding out if they have reached the quarter-finals. With Carrick now in charge, which youngsters would you like to see given a first-team chance during the rest of this season? Or will it be a waiting game for academy talent until a permanent appointment is made in the summer?Get in touch with your views here[BBC].