Michael Carrick is on the brink of being sacked by Manchester United following a 4-1 defeat to Como in their third Champions League fixture of the campaign. The heavy loss has left the 45-year-old under enormous pressure to save his job, having overseen only two wins in 11 games across all competitions since his permanent appointment during the summer break.
Pressure Mounts After Como Thrashing
The defeat at the hands of Como came just five months after Carrick was awarded a permanent contract. He had guided United into the Champions League after replacing Ruben Amorim on an interim basis last season, a decision that seemed sound at the time.
However, the club now faces a difficult decision over whether to give Carrick his marching orders. The pressure had been building even before Wednesday's chastening loss, with United's recent history of changing managers when results deteriorate suggesting a change could be imminent.
Potential Replacements Shortlisted
Reports indicate that a number of potential replacements have already been shortlisted, including Fabian Hurzeler, Julian Nagelsmann, and Antonio Conte. Nagelsmann, currently out of work after leaving his role as Germany manager following the World Cup, is believed to be among the frontrunners.
Hurzeler is also admired by those in power at Old Trafford, but appointing him would require paying compensation to his current employers, Brighton. Alternatively, United could decide to stick with Carrick in the hope he can turn the club's fortunes around, though that would seem unlikely given their track record.
Carrick Defends His Position
Carrick was quizzed on his future after the final whistle against Como and insisted he was not thinking about stepping away from his role. He said: "I've not given my own position any thought. It is the supporters [I am thinking about]. I was one of them tonight watching that and I wasn't happy at all."
His fury was palpable after a performance markedly different from the encouraging draw at Leeds United over the weekend. "For us to play in that way is not acceptable," he said. "It wasn't a good performance at all. We wanted to build on what we brought to Leeds and the performance that we had at Leeds."
Carrick added: "That bit of intensity, that spirit, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything, and tonight was the total opposite of a performance, I have to say. It was tough to watch. We can all play well, we can all have poor performances, but to do it in that manner is really not right at all. It wasn't just the goals, it was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, was the difficult thing to watch for me."
Readers are invited to vote on who should replace Carrick if he is given the boot, with the poll open for responses.
