Michael Carrick’s future at Old Trafford is hanging by a thread after Manchester United slumped to a sixth loss in 12 Premier League games this season with a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday. The result leaves United just one point above the relegation zone and has prompted intense pressure on the 45-year-old manager, who replaced Erik ten Hag earlier this year.
Furious fans directed their anger at co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, as well as director of football Jason Wilcox and the players. By 8pm on Sunday (7am Monday AEDT), it was understood no formal decision had been taken on Carrick’s future.
Speaking after the match, Carrick acknowledged the gravity of the situation. “I totally understand the situation. I’m not expecting anything either way. I’m carrying on as normal,” he said. “I love this place. I’ll always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club, and I won’t change that now, whatever decision is made.”
Carrick dropped captain Bruno Fernandes after the midfielder criticised his tactics following Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to Como, and refused to bring him on during the Bournemouth match. He denied that his gesture of applauding fans at the end and placing a hand over his heart was a farewell. “It wasn’t a farewell from me,” he said.
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both believe Carrick will lose his job. “It’s become untenable,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “Carrick wants to be changed. He doesn’t want to be sat in the dugout with those players… He wants to be put out of his misery tonight.”
Neville, the former United captain, added: “It’s going to be ridiculously difficult for Carrick to be Manchester United manager moving forward. Those two [Berrada and Wilcox] are probably going to make a decision that will disgust Manchester United fans but is probably necessary. It’s just an absolute mess. The football club is a mess right now.”
Neville also blasted the players, suggesting they were no longer playing for Carrick. “They’ve downed tools and they’ve done this a number of times. They decide when to switch it on and off like a tap.”
Defender Harry Maguire, who captained the side in Fernandes’s absence, defended Carrick despite another poor performance. “At the moment we’re not doing enough as players,” Maguire said. “Michael turned our season on its head last year, and we played brilliant football and got brilliant results. This season we haven’t performed well enough as individuals.”
Carrick said he had felt the support from fans during the match, in contrast to the abuse directed at owners and players. “I’m feeling it for my players; they’re going through a tough spell. There’s a lot of emotion in the changing room right now, there’s a lot of the boys quite hurt, to be fair,” he said.