Michael Carrick insists he was not bidding farewell to Manchester United following Sunday’s home loss to Bournemouth, and hopes to avoid the sack.
The Cherries ran riot at Old Trafford in a 3-0 win, brushing aside a Man Utd team without the dropped pair of captain Bruno Fernandes and forward Matheus Cunha.
Neville and Carragher call for change
Former Man Utd defender Gary Neville, on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports, said club bosses Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox would soon make official the decision to sack Carrick which will be very unpopular with fans.
Neville said: “Those two are probably going to make a decision which will disgust Manchester United fans, but is probably necessary.”
Jamie Carragher added that Carrick must be sacked “tonight”, adding: “Carrick needs to be relieved of his duties – for the good of Michael Carrick.
“He’s emotional, he’s hurting, it’s not good for Manchester United and it’s not good for Michael Carrick.”
Carrick: It wasn’t a farewell
Carrick walked around the pitch applauding the supporters at the full-time whistle, which Neville suggested appeared to be a goodbye to the fans.
But Carrick insisted soon after that wasn’t the case, telling Sky Sports: “It wasn’t a farewell. I had really mixed emotions.
“I’m feeling for my players, the boys are feeling it at the moment, and I have mixed emotions for the supporters as well. I certainly appreciate their support.”
Asked if he expects to face talks over his job in the coming days, Carrick said: “The situation is where we are at. We haven’t had the performances or the results.
“It’s a tough situation, what comes next I really don’t know. I love what I do, what position I’m in.”
Maguire backs players
Harry Maguire, who was captain for the day in the absence of Fernandes, believes the blame lies with the players.
He told Sky Sports: "At the moment we're not doing enough as players.
“Michael turned our season on its head last year and we played brilliant football and got brilliant results. This season we haven't performed well enough as individuals."
