Michael Carrick’s job as Manchester United head coach isn’t getting decided at Old Trafford, nope. It’s happening 800 miles away in Monaco on Wednesday, and the stakes could not be higher for a club that is absolutely floundering.
The Monaco Summit: A Head Coach On The Brink
This isn’t some last-minute panic meeting. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are flying out for what’s described as one of their regular, pre-planned strategy meetings for the football club. But this time? Carrick’s future is the main event. And from what sources are saying, the recommendation Berrada and Wilcox are bringing to the table is clear: Carrick needs to go.
The whole Monaco angle is interesting. It’s where minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe lives and where his company Ineos has offices. So, while the meeting was in the diary for a while, it now just happens to be the most critical discussion on the agenda. These meetings usually run three to four hours in the morning, and apparently, they wrap up on time so Ratcliffe can get in his regular lunchtime jog. Gotta respect the routine, right? But seriously, if it was purely about Carrick, they could video conference it. The travel adds a wrinkle because they apparently prefer to tell Carrick face to face. These high-level meetings used to happen every six weeks, but they’re less frequent now. Sounds like things are tense.
United’s Embarrassing Slide Under Carrick
Sir Jim Ratcliffe can’t be thrilled to be in this position again, less than three years after dropping over £1bn for his 28.94% minority stake. Back on Christmas Eve 2023, his vision was crystal clear: “Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football,” he said.
Instead, where are they? A pathetic 18th in the Premier League. That’s the relegation zone, people! They’ve won just one of their first 10 games, and nothing at all since August. This is their lowest position this far into a top-flight season since way back in 1986-87, when they were a dismal 20th. Ratcliffe’s taken heat for plenty of decisions since he bought in, but this one? He absolutely, positively needs to nail it. Especially after Carrick reportedly stood by the team after a “woeful 3-0” loss. How long can that last?
A History of Managerial Turnover
This isn’t United’s first rodeo when it comes to ditching managers. It wasn’t even two years ago, in 2025, that Ruben Amorim was summoned to Monaco after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. He was canned just 19 hours after an “explosive” media conference following a 1-1 draw at Leeds in January. And Erik ten Hag? He was gone a day after United lost at West Ham, leaving them with a measly three wins from their first nine matches.
Get this: the decision to sack Ten Hag was made in summer 2024 by senior Ineos executives, then completely reversed after they actually won the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Four months later, his job was hanging by a thread again after a six-hour meeting at Ineos HQ in London. He survived that one too, but was out the door three weeks later. Carrick actually got his two-year contract as head coach in the summer after winning 12 games out of 17 as interim boss. But now, it looks like his time is just about up.
The recommendation is in. The big meeting is happening. Carrick’s fate is hanging by a thread, and for Manchester United, this decision is going to define a whole lot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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