Michael Carrick has survived the axe for now and is set to take charge of Manchester United’s blockbuster Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
He took training as usual on Tuesday, and despite reports of Eddie Howe being the favourite to take over from him, INEOS opted against making the call.
Compensation payments involved have been cited as one of the reasons behind the sudden U-turn, but the lack of clarity behind the scenes has also played a major part.
Despite the glaring tactical errors and lack of proper conditioning among the squad, the head coach is not the only reason for United’s dismal start to the campaign.
INEOS at fault for United’s poor form
INEOS failed to properly back him in the summer, and as United’s ship lurches from one managerial casualty to another, many feel it is time for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to step in and admit that his “best in-class” hires have failed to live up to the billing.
Jason Wilcox, the club’s director of football, has been the subject of fans’ ire, and rightly so. His managerial calls and transfer failings have led to United’s worst start in 40 years.
| Season | P | W | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 13 |
United CEO Omar Berrada, another hire from Manchester City, is also not free of blame, and sources have told BBC Sport that wider changes at boardroom level could be in the offing soon.
“Wilcox’s future has also come under intense scrutiny. One source close to United feels it is inevitable the former Blackburn and Leeds player will eventually lose his job if a third managerial change in as many seasons is made.
Wilcox, Berrada deserve brickbats
“There is sympathy with Wilcox, who did not set the summer transfer budget. Others say Ratcliffe has provided significant funds for transfers since he took charge of football affairs in early 2024, as well as injecting £300m of his own money into the club.
“Another senior figure in the game told BBC Sport both Wilcox and Berrada may be vulnerable, suggesting Ratcliffe could be considering a wider overhaul of senior staff.”
Whether any of this comes to pass if and when Carrick loses his job will be interesting to see. Fans would love to see INEOS own up to their mistakes and work to change the situation, not only at the coaching level.
It is also clear that if changes do take place, whether at the upper echelons or in the dugout, the players need to take more responsibility on the pitch.
Players also need to step up
The squad is short on quality in multiple areas, but the team could still be doing a lot better. Blaming only Carrick will not suffice.
Interestingly, United’s stars have promised to respond to their humiliation at the hands of Bournemouth at the weekend. Saturday promises to be a humdinger either way.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
2 comments
The main problem with Manchester United is Bruno Fernades, I have coached soccer for forty-five years and the most important thing for success is players knowing where their teammates are going to be on the field at all times. Fernades runs around like a chicken with his head cut off and completely ruins the other players because they never know where he is going to be on the pitch, The other players have to continually cover for him because they never know where he is going on the field. He never plays his position throughout the entire game and that creates a huge problem for all the other players not knowing where he is going to be or do and have to cover for him constantly. he needs to be traded or Manchester United will never achieve the success they have had in the past. He seriously hurts the team more than he helps it and is always complaining about fouls that he thinks should be called and throwing his hand up in the air because his teammates didn’t do what he wanted them to do, He is a cancer to the entire team and needs to be gone.
SJR, Berrada, Wilcox should all leave. Since SJR is calling the shots he will certainly not go and that means the rot continues.
Carrick should be sacked. All this s..t about him not being backed in the transfer window is being overplayed to gloss over Carrick’s incompetence. The question that should be asked is, what has he done to improve the squad at his disposal. The answer is NOTHING. So why should he not be sacked.