Manchester United's hierarchy reportedly agreed in private to hold off on sacking Michael Carrick until the November international break if necessary. Club chiefs held crisis talks after a defeat to Bournemouth and are set to reconsider their position after a ninth match without a win.
United lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, failing to build on a decent start before poor defending allowed Morgan Rogers to open the scoring and Lisandro Martinez was sent off.
Board's Private Plan
According to The Athletic, United bosses will assess the situation after their next two matches and are weighing up options for a potential successor. Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann remain available, though Juventus are being linked with a move for the latter.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox attended the match at Stamford Bridge and will advise on any possible replacement. Alongside Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, Wilcox was the target of chants from the away end on Saturday.
Carrick Expects to Stay
Carrick expects to remain in charge for the Champions League match against Roma. Asked by TNT Sports if he would still be in place for the next game, Carrick replied: "Yes".
"Got to keep moving forward and winning games, simple as that," he added after the Chelsea defeat. "There's no words that I'm going to explain to you now that makes it any different; it's not going to change it. You can move up the league quite quickly if you win football matches."
Carrick's team sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference, having not been in the bottom three for 40 years. The last time was in November 1986, prompting the arrival of Alex Ferguson.
Upcoming Matches
United face Roma and Aston Villa next, and Carrick is expected to be in charge for at least the next match. United are four points away from the top half and nine points off the top four, while Arsenal could extend their lead over them at the top of the table to 17 points with a win over Liverpool.
Speaking before the Chelsea match, Carrick refused to be drawn on whether United's hierarchy should provide more communication with fans over the club's direction. "If there's one thing I care about from outside these walls it's what the supporters are thinking and how they are feeling. That's all that matters to me because we're all in this together," Carrick said. "We're all hungry and desperate. We understand there will be things that are talked about - I'm not interested in that, I'm just focusing on making us better."
