Reports: The Reasons That Could Be Holding Up Carrick’s Man Utd Exit
A clash of opinions and the more cynical financial reality of the situation have been put forward as reasons behind Michael Carrick’s current Manchester United existence.
Carrick insisted that he was “not expecting anything” after watching his Manchester United side slide to another dire performance at a furious Old Trafford on Sunday. Everyone else was expecting his swift exit.
Gary Neville described his former United teammate as “a dead man walking” while numerous reports surfaced in the immediate aftermath of the 3–0 defeat to Bournemouth claiming that the club were already narrowing down their shortlist of replacements. Yet, come Monday morning, Carrick was going about business as normal.
The retired midfielder was at the training ground to watch a behind-closed-doors U-21 friendly with Hull City, the Daily Mail report. It’s not yet clear if Carrick will be at the helm for the first-team session on Tuesday, let alone Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea. That is typical of a situation cloaked in a thick fog of uncertainty.
The Complication Behind ’Crunch Talks’
The spotlight is on Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada. / Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images
While Carrick was watching the likes of Shea Lacey, Tyler Fletcher and Harry Amass rack up some minutes, The Athletic report that “crunch talks” between the powers that be were ongoing.
Minority co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, majority shareholders Joel and Avram Glazer, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox were thought to be the brains trust tasked with deciding what to do with Carrick.
Manchester United fans made it abundantly clear on Sunday that the manager, who was heartily cheered, is not considered to be the problem. The players and club executives, by contrast, were subjected to a vicious tongue-lashing from the stadium.
It’s obvious that Carrick is not responsible for the 13 years of dismal results since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. As Ratcliffe pointed out himself in 2024: “There have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good. And none of them were successful, or survived for very long. The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working didn’t work.”
That environment remains as toxic as ever but it’s a lot easier to replace one manager rather than a whole team of players or—gasp—some of the executives making those decisions. However, even moving Carrick on has proven to be more complicated than some may have anticipated.
Why Has Carrick Not Been Sacked Yet?
Michael Carrick looked to have been waving farewell on Sunday. / Dan Istitene/Getty Images
The chief issue would appear to be one of which candidate to back. While Wilcox is thought to favor former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, United’s director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell is billed as a supporter of Julian Nagelsmann, with whom he overlapped at RB Leipzig. Chelsea’s former Premier League winner Antonio Conte is another name prominently floated, with BBC Sport reporting that the Italian would be “keen” on the prospect.
There is the suggestion from The Athletic that there are “lingering suspicions” that the delay in Carrick’s departure has its roots in finances. This, after all, is a club which cut free lunches from the staff canteen amid wide-sweeping cost-saving procedures. It’s not clear how much compensation a manager four months into a two-year contract would be entitled to, but the expectation is that it would be “considerable.”
Hiring Carrick’s replacement will also come at a cost. The Guardian claim that securing Eddie Howe’s services will set them back around £3 million ($4 million) thanks to the terms of his Newcastle exit. There would be further expense required to extract Howe’s trusted staff from their deals.
Will Carrick Be Man Utd Manager for Huge Chelsea Clash?
It’s unclear if Michael Carrick will make it back to Stamford Bridge. / Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images
At this point in time, there are “no guarantees” Carrick makes it to Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea. It’s a critical fixture in the short and long term. United have to be targeting another season of Champions League qualification if they want to provide the next permanent manager with any significant financial backing and Chelsea are one of their direct rivals for that goal.
Xabi Alonso’s side aren’t exactly in ebullient form themselves, having suffered their first Stamford Bridge defeat to loathed rivals Tottenham Hotspur in nine years last weekend.
If Carrick were to be removed before one of Howe, Nagelsmann or Conte could be ushered into place, United could feasibly line up at Stamford Bridge with Steve Holland as the short-term caretaker. Carrick’s assistant spent eight years at Chelsea, working his way up from reserve team coach to stand at the hip of the likes of José Mourinho, Rafael Benítez and, intriguingly, Conte.
