Michael Carrick drove away from Manchester United’s training ground on Tuesday with his future unclear after another messy move by the club's troubled management.
Carrick woke up to news that he might be sacked after a terrible start to the season left United in the Premier League relegation zone.
It would be hard for even Carrick’s biggest supporters to complain if he got the boot after United’s worst start to a season in 40 years.
But true to the confused thinking that seems to affect United’s leaders during tough times, Carrick got back in his car after training still unsure about what would happen next.
Instead of clearing things up for Carrick or giving him a surprise chance, the 45-year-old manager was left hanging.
His fate will be decided by key shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada, and director of football Jason Wilcox at a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday.
While it is said that no final decision has been made, Berrada and Wilcox are reportedly leaning towards letting Carrick go.
Ratcliffe and United’s owners, the Glazer family, would likely agree with that choice, throwing the club into yet another managerial mess.
Fans tired of watching their team decline since their last English title in 2013 could be forgiven for feeling like they have seen this all before.
Just two years ago, Erik ten Hag led United in the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City while there was heavy talk that he would be sacked no matter the outcome.
But United’s surprising win forced Ratcliffe to spend weeks thinking about Ten Hag’s future, including a close-season meeting with Thomas Tuchel in Monaco that ended with Tuchel turning down the job.
Ten Hag ended up getting a one-year contract extension before the 2024-25 season.
Yet when results dropped at the start of that season, he was fired just three months after being given the new deal.
“They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication. The promises, they didn’t keep,” Ten Hag complained.
That was a harsh criticism of Ratcliffe and his group of advisors, including then sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ashworth’s brief time at United showed the problems in the management at Old Trafford.
He came from Newcastle but lasted only five months before leaving by mutual consent in 2024, reportedly because he disagreed with bringing in Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag’s replacement.
Maybe they should have listened because Amorim’s unhappy 14-month period ended badly in January this year after he told his bosses to stop interfering.
Carrick took over as the interim boss, and his humble style was a welcome change from Amorim’s harsh methods.
United qualified for the Champions League, which earned Carrick a permanent contract.
But it was a risky choice by United’s leaders given Carrick’s lack of coaching experience at the top level.
With a disappointing transfer window, Carrick faced criticism after a humiliating loss to Hull on the opening weekend.
Reports claimed he was sure to be sacked after a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth, but United surprisingly gave him another chance.
United finally showed some fight with a dramatic win over Roma last week and a late draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Has Carrick created a strong team spirit that could help avoid the first relegation since 1974?
United’s leadership seems unsure, delaying their decision until the meeting in Monaco while thinking about who to hire if they do fire Carrick.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly said he is open to taking the difficult job despite recently extending his contract in the USA until 2030.
Eddie Howe, Unai Emery, Antonio Conte, and Julian Nagelsmann have also been mentioned as potential candidates for the 20-time English champions.
But as United defender Lisandro Martinez pointed out last month, “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing manager? What about other areas?”
Despite that warning, Carrick is likely to be let go after only one win in 10 league matches, while Berrada and Wilcox are believed to be safe.
“I’m pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there,” Carrick said recently, though not very convincingly.
Until United’s leaders come up with a clear plan of their own, the once-great club will keep facing one crisis after another.
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