Michael Carrick’s position as manager of Manchester United is looking increasingly doubtful, but Sky Sports News it is said that no final decision has yet been made on his future.
As reported earlier on Monday, the club is conducting a full review of the squad’s performance so far this season, led by director of football Jason Wilcox, with a plan for a decision to be made before the end of this international break.
Carrick was given a rest after the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth a fortnight ago, with the management keen to hand him three more games in an attempt to turn the team’s fortunes around.
But the pressure has continued to mount on Carrick after an eighth straight Premier League game without a win. There are now genuine doubts whether he will be in charge of the squad that travels to Anfield to play Liverpool next weekend.
United’s hierarchy are adamant that results must improve, but they want to be sure of which direction to take the team before any action is taken.
If they do decide to remove Carrick from his post, they want to avoid taking on an interim manager, but there have not yet been substantive talks with other potential candidates.
Sky Sports News understands the club’s hierarchy are planning to use the international break to fully assess the season so far and reassess their options.
Carrick and the players had Monday off after rescuing a late point against Villa on Sunday, but the manager and his staff will return to Carrington on Tuesday.
With most of the players away on international duty and no first-team training sessions scheduled in the coming days, it has bought some space for a full re-evaluation of the season.
An 11-game win streak, 30 goals conceded so far in all competitions, the worst record of any team in Europe’s five leagues and the worst start to a Premier League season has increased the pressure on Carrick.
These problems have exceeded the positivity brought by the comebacks of the last two games.
United’s hierarchy are thought to feel Carrick overachieved last season, with a third-place finish in the League winning Champions League football.
But it is equally clear that the management are convinced that the club’s current number of players has been woefully underachieved so far this season.
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Manchester United fans show their love for Michael Carrick at full-time with a rendition of “It’s Carrick you know, it’s hard to believe it’s not Scholes” as the Red Devils fight back to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
Sky Sports News understands there are three main reasons why United are in no rush to make a decision on the manager’s job – all of which have given Carrick an extension of time.
First, supporters are not chanting for him to be fired. It is unlikely that will ever happen, such is the fan base’s love for a legendary player who won 11 major trophies with United, including the Champions League and five Premier League titles.
As such, the pressure to change the boss, which other clubs often experience from the stands, has not materialized at Old Trafford.
Secondly, there is a feeling in the boardroom that Carrick and his coaching staff still retain the support of the players.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa
Despite the chaotic nature of the last two games, they have produced a Champions League win against Roma and a draw against a good Villa side – with notable comebacks in both.
As such, the assessment seems to be that the players have not downed tools and they are still fighting for Carrick.
Third, United’s management remains unconvinced at this stage that a change of manager will solve the team’s problems.
If they believed that, they could have already made a move to sack Carrick and appoint a candidate like Julian Nagelsmann or Eddie Howe – both of whom are out of work, available and thought to be keen to talk to United if a vacancy becomes available.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in charge at Man Utd”
Sky Sports News Chief Reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“The club has to become Manchester United again. They have to go back to being a club that is capable of winning the title regularly, winning the European Cup again.
“It doesn’t matter who is in charge, in my opinion. You can have Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp. But with the current ownership structure, I don’t think things will change.
“You could bring in another coach, but you’d only be doing a letter over the cracks.
“If things continue the way they are at the moment, they will rub shoulders with Lincoln and QPR. There is a circus around the club, everyone is talking about what is going wrong and how it can be changed.
“But I think most Man Utd fans think that if you don’t change the owners, nothing will change.”
