Man Utd Round-Up, Wednesday 21st October: Carrick Under Huge Pressure as Como Humble United 4-1
It was a chastening night in Italy as Manchester United were thrashed 4-1 by Como in the Champions League, extending their winless run in all competitions to seven matches and leaving manager Michael Carrick under enormous pressure (Evening Standard) (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). Nico Paz was the star performer for Cesc Fabregas's side as United were, in the words of several reports, "ripped apart" and taught a lesson by a club playing only their third ever Champions League game (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport) (BBC Sport).
The result sparked fury among supporters, with some directly calling for Carrick to be sacked after the humbling (Evening Standard). BBC Sport gathered fan reaction on whether Carrick should remain in charge (BBC Sport), while Manchester Evening News ran a poll asking the same question (Manchester Evening News). Not everyone was ready to turn on the head coach, however - former midfielder Joe Cole argued that Carrick himself is not the real "problem" at United (Evening Standard).
The aftermath was dominated by a public disagreement between captain Bruno Fernandes and his manager. Fernandes appeared to criticise the coaching staff's tactics after the game, suggesting a flaw in the approach was "on the manager" (Evening Standard) (TeamTalk) (Manchester Evening News) (BBC Sport). Carrick hit back when asked about the comments, explaining the side had "half pressed man-to-man in the second half and conceded from that" (Evening Standard) (Manchester Evening News). Sky Sports summarised the blame game, weighing up whether it was Fernandes's criticism of the coaches or Carrick's criticism of the players that held more truth (Sky Sports).
For his part, Carrick was contrite in public, branding the performance "not acceptable" and admitting he was "bitterly disappointed" by what he saw (Evening Standard) (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). He also said he was "really angry" with the display, while praising what Fabregas has built at Como (Evening Standard) (ManUtd.com). Away from the cameras, Carrick's manner afterwards was said to reveal exactly who he held responsible for the defeat, with reports suggesting he was livid with his players at full time and insisted everyone needed to take responsibility (Manchester Evening News) (ManUtd.com).
The player ratings made for grim reading, with United's performance featuring a 2/10 and four 3/10 ratings as two individuals in particular were singled out for having "lost their guts" during the battering (Manchester Evening News) (Manchester Evening News). Looking ahead, Manchester Evening News detailed United's next five fixtures as part of an "ominous task" now facing Carrick to save his job (Manchester Evening News), while speculation over potential successors continues, with various managers linked to the role and one candidate reportedly "loved by club chief" (Manchester Evening News). Amid talk of Antonio Conte as a possible replacement, Ashley Young warned United against appointing his former boss, insisting it would "be a disaster" (Manchester Evening News).
In team news before the game, Carrick was without Leny Yoro for the trip to Italy (Manchester Evening News), while Como's Willy Kambwala - a former United player - had his move away from Old Trafford explained by Manchester Evening News (Manchester Evening News). United's Under-21s also suffered defeat, losing 2-1 to Como in the UEFA Youth League (ManUtd.com).
Elsewhere, Erik ten Hag's reflections on his time at Old Trafford continue to generate headlines, with Kobbie Mainoo's comments about his old boss said to have amused the Dutchman, and Manchester Evening News picking out six key talking points from Ten Hag's tell-all interview (Manchester Evening News) (Manchester Evening News). Bruno Tielemans also said United's players "have to fight" during this difficult period (ManUtd.com).
Looking to the weekend, Bournemouth forward Kroupi is reportedly set to return for United's upcoming Premier League trip (Sky Sports), and fans have been warned to leave extra time to get to Old Trafford with no trams running to the ground on matchday for the first time in over a decade (Manchester Evening News). There was also news that the VAR official who wrongly awarded Erling Haaland's winner against United in last month's Manchester derby has been reinstated for Premier League duty (Sky Sports).
On the women's team, United's clash away at Liverpool was made available to watch live on YouTube (ManUtd.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.