What now for Man Utd and Carrick?

The future of Michael Carrick at Manchester United remains a mystery following the dramatic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.

Ahead of what is bound to be a pivotal international break for Carrick's tenure, Sky Sports answers the key questions surrounding the state of play at Old Trafford.

Do Man Utd bosses know where to go with Carrick?

It's unclear if Manchester United's bosses know exactly where they go from here. They will likely take some time to reflect and consider, as they have been doing.

For several weeks, they have been assessing Carrick's future and considering whether or not to make a change, but they haven't made a decision yet.

Image: CEO Omar Berrada (left) and director of football Jason Wilcox will be at the centre of deciding Michael Carrick's future

The season on a whole has been an absolute disaster. One win in 11 - their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign. They're in the relegation zone. They have conceded 30 goals in all competitions this season, the second-most of all teams in Europe's top five leagues.

The question now is: did that comeback, did the character they showed for the second game on the trot after the comeback win over Roma, show that the players are enough behind Carrick for him to keep his job?

A fortnight ago, when Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, it was suspected that was the end of the Carrick era. There were a lot of people within the club suggesting that was the feeling on the inside.

The hierarchy didn't come out and publicly back him. They decided to stick with the status quo. Sky Sports News' understanding is that they were trying to get through to this international break, where they would make a full reassessment.

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It still feels that Carrick is incredibly vulnerable as Manchester United boss. The hierarchy have the time now. The team don't play a game for two weeks, where they could make a change. They could do their due diligence and start talking to alternative candidates should they want to.

However, the ideal scenario for Man Utd bosses is to try and keep Carrick in his job until the end of the season.

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Roy Keane says under-pressure Man Utd boss Michael Carrick 'talks a lot but doesn't say much' and needs to 'get moving' on improving the team after watching his former side earn a late 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.

Who are the targets if Carrick is sacked?

If they do sack Carrick, they won't appoint another interim. They don't want to get caught in a cycle where they appoint an interim until the end of the season, that manager does exactly what Carrick did last season and does incredibly well, the fanbase get behind them and clamour for that person to get the job on a permanent basis and then they are right back to square one.

Whether or not this is achievable, the bosses are determined to try and get a long-term strategy and a long-term head coach in place. If that's not Carrick, they don't know who that is.

We know they are interested in Julian Nagelsmann. We know they are interested in Eddie Howe. We know they are interested in Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton who is doing an incredible job. But they aren't solely committed to those right now.

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Sky Sports' Dave Reed looks at the potential replacements for Michael Carrick if he leaves Manchester United.

Unai Emery was very high up on those lists of potential targets. That's why we saw that massive PR show from Aston Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris, who said 'he's one of our own. We've got a long-term plan, he's going to sign a new contract'. That's where we are at with Aston Villa. It's unlikely United can get Emery out of Aston Villa.

You can't rule it out forever, but you likely can for now. It is very clear that Aston Villa do not want and will not let their manager go anywhere. Emery still has a contract that ties him to the football club until 2029. He's pretty secure as far as the Aston Villa ownership is concerned.

Where has it gone wrong for Carrick?

Clearly defensively. The 30 goals they have conceded is abhorrent. Conceding four goals at home to Aston Villa that haven't won at Old Trafford in more than a century is abhorrent.

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Manchester United massively outperformed last season in finishing third and getting Champions League football. This season, they have massively underperformed with the squad that they've got. Somewhere between the two is probably about right.

Carrick did such a fantastic job last season that he built up the expectation that United would go forward and would improve from there.

Six damning stats from Man Utd’s start to the season

• 10 – You would have to go back 40 years for the last time Man Utd failed to keep a clean sheet in their first 10 league matches of a season.
• 8 – Man Utd are without a win in eight Premier League games. This has only happened once before under Ruben Amorim in April/May 2025.
• 15 – Man Utd are guaranteed to spend 15 days in the relegation zone. That’s the longest run of consecutive days in the bottom three since 1986/87 – which is the season Sir Alex Ferguson took over.
• 30 – Only Lens, who conceded nine against Como in the Champions League, have conceded more goals than United this season across Europe’s top five leagues.
• 3:40 – That’s how long it took for Villa to go 2-0 up at Old Trafford. It’s the earliest United have trailed by two goals in the Premier League era.
• 7 – And finally, Carrick’s side have failed to win any of their seven away matches this season in all competitions. And next up? Only the matter of a trip to Anfield.

They're creating chances. They're scoring goals. They've scored seven in their last two games, but shipped six. So, that defensive record is a real concern for Man Utd right now.

What's the sentiment around supporters?

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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' after the Red Devils fight back to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

It's a really strange atmosphere around Old Trafford. Lisandro Martinez came out a few weeks ago and criticised the board for their lack of recruitment and lack of ambition. The next game, he was cheered by Manchester United supporters for saying that.

Then, Bruno Fernandes came out publicly and criticised his head coach and his tactics. He was booed by the fans for that.

Carrick is cheered off like a hero after the loss to Bournemouth and fans probably expected him to be sacked based on the run of results. There is affection for the manager still.

Image: Hundreds of balloons were let off in the Stretford End in protest of Manchester United's ownership

We then saw an awful lot before the Villa game from the stands. There were green and yellow balloons let off in protest at the ownership and the Glazers, accompanied by banners demanding they leave the club.

The truth is, Manchester United supporters don't know what to make of this right now. Who to cheer and who to boo. They are ashamed and at a loss as to where to go from here. I think at the moment, that's a feeling matched in the boardroom.

Are there any plans for the January window?

A clear weakness of Manchester United's side this season has been at left-back. They have had five different players take up that position this season with limited success, especially since Luke Shaw's injury.

It was a position they wanted to strengthen in the summer but decided to sign an extra midfielder instead. Expect them to explore that area again in January with perhaps a revisit to Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri , who is getting limited game time under Enzo Maresca this season.

United were also looking for a forward but it remains to be seen whether their January budget will allow them to strengthen in both areas. Any significant incomings will also be dictated by departures but looking at United's squad, it's difficult to see many players leaving aside from fringe players such as Harry Amass.

Joshua Zirkzee is one who could leave but has also proven how useful he can be off the bench with a key goal against Aston Villa.

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Joshua Zirkzee reduces the gap to make it 4-3 in Manchester United's comeback vs Aston Villa

Can Carrick get a pass if Palace sack Sage?

Those outside Old Trafford will ponder what the difference between Manchester United and Crystal Palace is as things stand? While one head coach is likely out at Selhurst Park, their counterpart at United still has a chance of staying despite their positions being so close in the table and more importantly, in the relegation zone.

There is no clear answer, clearly. But, if you deem Carrick the problem, the issue the hierarchy has is who is the solution?

His connection to the fanbase is unique. One Sage does not have with Crystal Palace for obvious reasons.

Carrick is also seen as a great custodian of the club in terms of how he presents himself in the media and how he has handled the many challenges thrown at him this season. All of these aspects have to be considered in comparison to thinking a coach can just slot straight in at Crystal Palace.

Is relegation a real possibility?

The last time they won a league game, the schools were still closed for summer holidays. The transfer window was still open.

The sides that are below them have won twice as many games. They are picking up 0.8 points per game. Across a whole season, it means they will pick up 30 points. That is guaranteed relegation.

The last time they were relegated, they actually had a better start to the season than they have had this time around. I know some people are saying it is business as usual. But, business as usual means relegation unless there are big changes at the club.