Manchester United have decided to retain Michael Carrick for now, with the manager’s future set to be reviewed after Saturday’s early Premier League meeting with Chelsea.
The decision, confirmed publicly on Tuesday, followed a crisis meeting on Monday as the club sought to calm growing uncertainty around Carrick after the 3-0 defeat by AFC Bournemouth.
Carrick and his coaching staff will remain in charge at Stamford Bridge. The match represents a final opportunity for him to win back longer-term support, with the hierarchy taking note that supporters applauded him after the Bournemouth loss while booing the players.
For the temporary reprieve to become a permanent arrangement, Manchester United must improve quickly in three areas.
Results must come first
Carrick’s immediate priority is straightforward: Manchester United need to beat Chelsea.
The club have won only two of their 12 matches this season – a Champions League victory over Azerbaijan side Sabah and a home win against promoted Ipswich Town. They are 16th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone, and could fall into the bottom three by the end of the weekend.
Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur last week, while Manchester United face Roma after Saturday’s match, with the Serie A side in excellent unbeaten form. Consecutive victories would provide the ideal response to an eight-game winless run, the club’s worst since the 2015-16 season.
Defeats by Como and AFC Bournemouth have badly weakened confidence among supporters. Performances remain important, but Carrick now needs a win.
Fernandes must rediscover his form
Manchester United’s short-term prospects are closely linked to captain Bruno Fernandes, regarded as their best player.
Fernandes was frustrated after being substituted against Como – something that had been uncommon under the previous manager – and then left on the bench without playing against AFC Bournemouth. Carrick’s decisions sent a clear message.
The manager and captain have since made concessions, and they held a face-to-face meeting at the Carrington training ground this week. The discussion appears to have cleared the air.
Fernandes is the current PFA Player of the Year and, at his best, is a world-class player. He has not reached that level this season, although some of his strongest performances came under Carrick during the latter part of last season.
The Portuguese captain may still stand by his views, but Carrick needs him to take responsibility, raise standards and return to his best, beginning at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United’s results generally improve when Fernandes performs well.
Defensive problems need fixing
Manchester United are one of only two Premier League teams yet to keep a clean sheet this season. They conceded four goals away to Como and three against AFC Bournemouth, and have allowed at least two goals in four of six away matches in all competitions, taking only three points from a possible 18 through draws.
Carrick oversaw three successive away clean sheets at the end of last season, including a 1-0 win at Chelsea. Manchester United must rediscover that defensive organisation and aggression.
Maguire has spoken about courage and Lisandro Martinez about quality, but the team’s defending against Bournemouth was so poor it could have been accompanied by the “Benny Hill Theme”. Individual errors by Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro were especially damaging.
Steven Gerrard said this week that assistant coach Steve Holland is among the best coaches he has worked with. Jonathan Woodgate and Gary Neville are also part of the staff. The issue, ultimately, is attitude and commitment: Manchester United’s players must once again take pride in defending and keeping clean sheets.
