Michael Carrick will remain in charge of Manchester United for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, despite intense pressure after a difficult Sunday at Old Trafford. The club has decided to give the manager and his players the chance to turn their situation around, with no timescale set.
When Carrick left the pitch following the loss to Bournemouth, the fans’ support for a club legend turned to hostility and anger at the current squad. Carrick was the last to leave the stadium. In the wet and miserable conditions, he patiently posed for selfies and signed shirts for the supporters who stayed behind. The mood around the club was described as emotional.
Asked at his post-match news conference whether he expected to be in charge at Chelsea, Carrick replied: “I’m not expecting anything in particular, to be honest. I’m carrying on as normal.”
Few felt that was sustainable. Even Carrick’s coaching team wondered whether they would survive. United now sit 16th in the Premier League table. Their next fixtures include a crucial Champions League match against Roma three days after Chelsea, then a Premier League game against in-form Aston Villa, before a two-week international break. That break is the most obvious point at which the club could decide whether a change of coach is needed, although nobody at United has said so publicly.
A decision that never came
On Monday morning, many expected an announcement ending Carrick’s tenure. A senior figure at the club said calmness and a clear head would be needed to steer through the turbulence around Old Trafford.
Carrick had been under mounting pressure since the crushing 4-1 defeat at Como on 21 October, one of the worst European nights in the club’s history. Respected fan Andy Mitten, the editor of the United We Stand fanzine, described the performance as “an affront to the name of Manchester United”.
The performance was not the only problem. Captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick’s tactics and the inability of the coaching staff to spot what was going wrong. A week earlier, defender Lisandro Martinez had said he expected more investment in the squad and, turning his attention to Jason Wilcox, called for “more from our technical director”. The comments painted a picture of a squad out of control and presented the club’s hierarchy with an immediate dilemma.
United stuck with the 45-year-old for the Bournemouth match, believing that removing him after the negativity of one game would look reactionary and impulsive. That decision soured when the team produced a performance that, arguably, was worse than the one in Italy. Fernandes played no part and was dropped to the bench. Afterwards, he liked an Instagram post with the caption: “Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care”.
It was understood late on Sunday night that a final decision on Carrick had not been made and that the judgement would stretch into Monday. There was no decision then either. The players who started against Bournemouth were given the day off, but Fernandes and Carrick were both at Carrington. Fernandes had pre-planned treatment, while Carrick watched a closed-doors Under-21s game. Chief executive Omar Berrada and Wilcox were also at the training ground, discussing what the immediate future should look like. Sources say it is inconceivable that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family were not part of those discussions.
It was early evening before it became clear there would be no update on Carrick’s future. He arrived at Carrington at 07:30 GMT on Tuesday and took training as normal. Along with Fernandes and several other players, he signed autographs and posed for photographs with a group of fans invited to the training ground that day. Four hours later, United sources confirmed he would be in charge at Stamford Bridge.
We all want to put it right
The current predicament is seen as not entirely Carrick’s fault. Senior figures at the club believe the players, who they think are capable of qualifying for the Champions League, are underperforming badly and should share some of the blame.
There appears to be a general desire to help Carrick. One player said: “The feeling is that we all want to put it right. Players, staff, everyone.”
It is not known whether the “we” includes Fernandes, and it is not clear what conversations, if any, have taken place between the captain and his manager.
It is far easier to replace one manager and his backroom team than an entire squad of players. If results do not improve, Carrick will pay the price. One former senior United official said: “Ordinarily, Michael would have gone. The last two performances were unacceptable and team discipline is broken. Not doing it is fascinating and risky.”
Cynics may argue that the main reason Carrick still has his job is the club’s inability to secure a replacement before the Chelsea game. Some of the coaches who helped him during his spell as interim manager in January, including Under-18s boss Darren Fletcher, are now part of the senior set-up.
Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann were among the options explored as United weighed up whether to make a change. Any decision to appoint Howe would trigger a multi-million pound compensation payment to his former club, Newcastle. Some observers believe compensation payments may be a factor in the club’s reluctance to act, given the sums previously spent hiring and firing coaches.
Antonio Conte, the former Chelsea boss, is understood to be willing to have a conversation about the job, although there has been no direct contact. Howe, Nagelsmann and Conte are all out of work, as is Kieran McKenna, who worked with Carrick as part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching team at United before leaving for Ipswich. Aston Villa’s Unai Emery also has strong backing at United, but the club are realistic about their chances of tempting the Spaniard away from Villa Park.
What about Berrada and Wilcox?
Wilcox’s future has also come under intense scrutiny. One source close to the club feels it is inevitable that the former Blackburn and Leeds player will eventually lose his job if a third managerial change in as many seasons is made.
There is sympathy for Wilcox, who did not set the summer transfer budget. Others point out that Ratcliffe has provided significant funds for transfers since taking charge of football affairs in early 2024, as well as injecting £300m of his own money into the club. While disgruntled fans may point to clubs such as Brentford and Brighton as proof that good players can be signed without astronomical fees, options for bigger clubs such as United were reportedly scarce during the summer window.
Nevertheless, it has never been explained why the decision was made to focus on bolstering the midfield last summer, rather than addressing clear personnel issues at left-back and centre-forward. Injuries to Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko have made those problems even more acute.
Another senior figure in the game believes both Wilcox and Berrada may be vulnerable, and suggests Ratcliffe could be considering a wider overhaul of the senior staff.
For now, attention is firmly on Stamford Bridge. Carrick is due to speak to the media on Thursday.