Renowned The Athletic reporter David Ornstein recently discussed the future of Manchester United manager Michael Carrick on an NBC program.
Firstly, many people were very surprised that Carrick was still sitting in the Manchester United managerial seat during yesterday's battle at Stamford Bridge. What exactly were the reasons a few days ago that led the club to choose to keep him in charge?
Put simply, this is the club expressing their trust in Michael Carrick, and this support remains valid up to now. According to the information I have received, he will continue to lead the team into the next two matches against Roma and Aston Villa.
The hierarchy settled on a plan after discussions, allowing him to take charge of the upcoming three fixtures, fully supporting him to reverse the team's decline. Some might feel this is merely a helpless move because they temporarily cannot find a desired manager. It is undeniable that the current state of the managerial market is one of the influencing factors, but more crucially, Manchester United themselves are willing to continue trusting Carrick. Earlier this year, the club formally handed the managerial position to him after an evaluation, believing he deserved this opportunity, with the transfer market also being a consideration at that time. The team does not intend to sack him hastily, especially looking back at the first half of 2026, when he led the team to deliver highly impressive results.
The management also observed the players' condition at the Carrington training base. After being booed off by fans following the match against Bournemouth, the players are aware that they cannot keep changing managers frequently; problems need to be resolved by the whole team together, and they cannot push all the responsibility onto the coach. Therefore, the hierarchy genuinely decided to continue moving forward alongside Carrick and have not contacted other coaches in private. They still believe that Carrick has the opportunity to turn the situation around over the next week, even if the current circumstances are extremely grim. Manchester United are giving Carrick the chance to prove himself because the upper management has determined that he is not the biggest issue within the team.
In other words, he holds a three-match managerial assessment. The first match has already been lost, and Lisandro Martinez also experienced a disciplinary issue. If they reap terrible results again against Roma and Villa, then by the international break—historically a window for Manchester United to change managers—the club will launch the recruitment process for a new coach. So, will Manchester United take advantage of the break to change their manager?
There is indeed a possibility of a managerial change, but ultimately it depends on the managerial market. We cannot naively assume that Manchester United are not scouting potential candidates; holding preliminary communications with the agents of certain coaches is a standard operation, but this does not mean a candidate has been finalized, just waiting to take over once Carrick is dismissed. If the results continue to collapse, changing the manager will be put on the agenda, which is why names like Eddie Howe, Antonio Conte, Unai Emery, and Julian Nagelsmann have been frequently linked with Manchester United recently. Managers like Conte and Nagelsmann could take over quickly, and the negotiation process would be relatively simple. As for Emery, although he has quite a few supporters internally at Manchester United, he is under contract with Villa without a release clause, and Villa have no intention of letting him go, firmly believing he will stay with the team.
The situation is highly complex, which is also the reason the hierarchy chose to continue supporting Carrick. From the Glazer family and Ratcliffe, to Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, the Manchester United hierarchy are well aware that the current predicament is dire and there is a risk of being forced to change the manager. The international break will afford them more ample time to think, while the pressure on the team will simultaneously be greater than a few weeks ago, potentially forcing them to make a decision they were previously unwilling to choose.
Apart from the manager, Berrada and Wilcox have similarly been criticized by the fans; are they also under immense pressure?
Being in this position, pressure is inherently part of the job. It is not just the vocal Manchester United fans; Berrada and Wilcox themselves are keenly aware that it was they who pushed for Carrick's appointment, and the previous appointments and dismissals of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim were also handled by them. This pressure will also transmit upwards, landing on Ratcliffe and the Glazer family as majority shareholders; with the team performing poorly, the top management cannot shirk their responsibility. However, the matter of managerial recruitment is primarily overseen by Wilcox. From what I understand, this decision has nothing to do with finances. Money is neither the reason for retaining Carrick nor the obstacle preventing the signing of coaches like Eddie Howe or Conte. As long as the hierarchy makes up their mind to change the manager, there are no financial hurdles. For the Manchester United management, the time has come when they must deliver results, and the person who has to bear responsibility is not solely the manager on the touchline.