Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed his surprise at the club’s decision to give Michael Carrick more time to turn the situation around.
Shock call
The overwhelming expectation was that Carrick would be sacked following last weekend’s disastrous 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
United are enduring a difficult start to the 2026/27 season. The loss to Bournemouth means that the Red Devils have not won in their last eight games across all competitions. Their last victory came against Sabah FK in the Champions League on 10 September.
The final whistle against Bournemouth saw Carrick complete a lap of honour at Old Trafford, a poignant gesture that strongly hinted he was saying goodbye.
Notwithstanding United’s struggles, Carrick was serenaded by the home crowd throughout the match and applauded even more loudly at full-time. Strikingly, the players were booed loudly once Carrick disappeared from view.
Carrick’s departure had seemed inevitable, but in an unexpected development, United’s senior figures decided to keep him. He will lead the side at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with United aiming for a major response.
United are said to be uninspired by the potential replacements available, and the large payout required for Carrick and his coaching staff has only strengthened his reprieve.
| Date | Competition | H/A | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25/10/2026 | Premier League | H | Bournemouth | 0-3 | L |
| 21/10/2026 | UEFA Champions League | A | Como | 1-4 | L |
| 18/10/2026 | Premier League | A | Leeds | 1-1 | D |
| 13/10/2026 | UEFA Champions League | A | Atletico Madrid | 0-2 | L |
| 10/10/2026 | Premier League | H | Tottenham | 1-1 | D |
| 20/09/2026 | Premier League | A | Fulham | 1-1 | D |
| 16/09/2026 | League Cup | H | Brighton | 2-3 | L |
| 13/09/2026 | Premier League | H | Manchester City | 0-1 | L |
| 10/09/2026 | UEFA Champions League | H | Sabah FA | 4-0 | W |
| 06/09/2026 | Premier League | A | Everton | 2-2 | D |
| 30/08/2026 | Premier League | H | Ipswich | 5-2 | W |
| 22/08/2026 | Premier League | A | Hull City | 0-2 | L |
Reacting to the news, Neville admitted his surprise but made clear he is delighted Carrick has been kept on.
Neville’s verdict
Neville said [via Sky Sports], “I’m happy. I’m surprised but I’m happy because I was absolutely certain what I witnessed on Sunday would be the end of Michael.”
“It looked like when he was walking around at the end on his own, with his players behind him, that it was a goodbye lap.”
“He was waving to the fans in an almost apologetic manner but also as a goodbye. I am surprised that ultimately still in a job, but I’m happy with it because it was very difficult on Sunday.”
Neville added, “How it’s going to go over the next couple of weeks, I have no idea. I hope he can get those players playing for him because they haven’t played for him in the last few weeks.”
United are 16th in the table, having amassed just seven points from their opening eight matches.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
1 comment
All the Hoo Haah about Carrick not being backed in the transfer window is exposing 2 things
1. Those supporting Carrick to stay have little insight in analysing a football issue.
2. It is sweeping the obvious truth about Carrick’s abilities as a manager/coach.
Carrick inherited a squad that was not good but was certainly a top half of table team. What did he do? He reduced it to a team fighting relegation in just 8 games. Yet he claims he is the right man to lead the team. He makes the same mistakes in every match. So much so every other manager is able to punish Man Utd with ease.