Michael Carrick is still the manager of Manchester United, even after a Sunday loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford that saw fan support for the legendary player turn into outright hostility towards the current squad. The atmosphere afterwards was emotional, with Carrick the last to leave the stadium, patiently posing for selfies and signing shirts for fans. But when he was asked in his post-match news conference if he expected to be in charge for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, Carrick said, “I’m not expecting anything in particular, to be honest. I’m carrying on as normal.” Few, including his own coaching team, thought that was sustainable. Yet, here we are: United has decided Carrick and his players will have a chance to turn the situation around.
The Locker Room Is Boiling Over
This decision is wild, considering what’s been happening inside the club. This comes after the crushing 4-1 defeat at Como on October 21, a performance that Andy Mitten, a respected United fan and fanzine editor, called “one of the worst European nights” in club history and “an affront to the name of Manchester United.” And the players aren’t holding back. Captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick’s tactics and the coaches’ inability to spot what was going wrong. For the Bournemouth match, Fernandes was even dropped to the bench, and afterwards, he liked an Instagram post with the caption, “Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care.” Defender Lisandro Martinez added to the drama a week earlier, saying he expected more investment in the squad and “more from our technical director,” Jason Wilcox. This is a total mess: a squad that looks completely out of control.
Why Carrick’s Still At The Helm (For Now)
Despite the chaos, United stuck with Carrick. Monday morning came, and everyone expected an announcement terminating his tenure, but it never came. A senior figure at United apparently said calmness and a clear head were needed to navigate the turbulence. It looks like the hierarchy felt removing Carrick after the Como defeat would look “reactionary and impulsive,” so they kept him for the Bournemouth game, which was arguably an even worse performance. No final decision on a sacking was made even late Sunday night, or Monday. While most players got the day off, Fernandes was at Carrington for pre-planned treatment, and Carrick was there watching a closed-doors Under-21s game. Chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox were also at the training ground, discussing the immediate future. It’s inconceivable that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family weren’t part of those talks, too. No timescale has been put on Carrick’s tenure, but the team is currently sitting 16th in the table.
Carrick will be in charge for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. Three days later, there’s a crucial Champions League match against Roma, followed by a Premier League encounter with in-form Aston Villa. After that, there’s a two-week international break, which is the most obvious time to decide if a change of coach is really required. This team needs to find something, anything, to turn this around.
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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