Manchester United are ‘likely’ to sack Michael Carrick and have identified former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe as the ‘leading candidate’ to replace him, according to reports.
Carrick is on the brink of being sacked by the Premier League giants after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth. The loss, which sparked boos from the Old Trafford crowd, means United have won just two of their first 12 games of the 2026-27 campaign. Carrick guided his former club to a third-place finish last season, but the Red Devils are currently 16th, one point above the relegation zone.
Crunch Talks and the ‘Most Likely’ Outcome
The writing appears to be on the wall for the ex-England midfielder, with Old Trafford bosses believed to be holding crunch talks today to decide his future. The ‘most likely’ outcome, according to The i Paper, is that Carrick will be axed, despite some within the club sympathising with the manager following United’s subdued summer transfer window.
It is also claimed that Manchester United view Howe as the frontrunner for the job should they decide to sack Carrick. Howe, 48, won the Carabao Cup and got Newcastle back into the Champions League during his five-year spell in charge at St James’ Park. The former England U21 defender was heavily linked with the Three Lions job before Thomas Tuchel’s appointment in 2024.
Pundits Call for Change
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both expect Carrick to be relieved of his duties after the defeat to Bournemouth.
‘Michael Carrick needs to be relieved of his duties tonight,’ Carragher said on Sky Sports. ‘Not just for the good of Manchester United but also for the good of Michael Carrick. Manchester United need to make that decision tonight. It’s become untenable. Michael Carrick wants to be changed. He doesn’t want to be sat in the dugout with those players. Can you imagine going into the training ground tomorrow with Bruno Fernandes after not bringing him on? It’s a rancid dressing room. He wants to be put out of his misery tonight.’
Former Manchester United captain Neville added: ‘It is going to get ridiculously difficult for Michael Carrick to be manager moving forward. I did think last season that the club should have gone for the best manager they could have got and not given the job to Michael Carrick because I felt this might happen. But this has gone very, very sour very quickly and the club is a mess. Carrick is popular. But the owners, the sporting department and the players are not popular. They have badly let the club down. Tomorrow, they will probably make a decision that will disgust Manchester United fans but it is probably necessary. The Manchester United fans are singing Carrick’s name because the reality tomorrow is: will he be the manager?’
Next up for Manchester United is a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea on Saturday.
