Carrick Sack Pressure Mounts as United Weigh Up Next Move
Michael Carrick's position as Manchester United head coach is under serious scrutiny this week, with multiple reports suggesting a decision on his future could be imminent.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Carrick is still under pressure and "might be entering his final week in the job" (Manchester Evening News), a claim echoed by the Evening Standard, who say United are delaying a final sack decision despite Carrick making what's described as a "crazy" admission following the weekend defeat in west London (Evening Standard). That same report notes Lisandro Martinez, who was vocal in his criticism of the club hierarchy after the Atletico Madrid loss back in October, was sent off in the game, with Carrick notably not acknowledging the incident afterwards (Evening Standard).
Adding to the sense of crisis, former United manager Erik ten Hag has weighed in, telling reporters it is "possible" that United could even be relegated, with the Evening Standard noting he was asked about his old club in the wake of the latest defeat (Evening Standard).
On potential successors, TeamTalk cites Fabrizio Romano as saying co-owners INEOS regard Unai Emery as the "ideal" candidate to come in should Carrick be axed, with Romano also understood to have revealed Aston Villa's stance on potentially letting their manager leave (TeamTalk). Meanwhile, in a twist, TeamTalk also reports that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made a "shock" return claim, insisting Carrick remains the "right man" to "take Manchester United forward" and revealing he offered support to his former teammate amid the sack threat (TeamTalk).
So while the outlets agree the pressure on Carrick is real and a decision may be close, there's a clear split in tone: Ten Hag and the swirling Emery links point towards an exit, while Solskjaer's intervention suggests not everyone connected to the club wants to see Carrick go. For United fans, attention will now turn to whether the hierarchy acts before Tuesday's visit of Roma to Old Trafford, with the situation likely to dominate the build-up to that game.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
