Gary Neville has said he is happy that Manchester United did not sack Michael Carrick, even though his prediction that the head coach would be dismissed proved wrong.
United are winless in their last eight games across all competitions, and Carrick has faced intense scrutiny as Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte have been linked with the role.
Carrick Survives After Bournemouth Loss
The 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, following an embarrassing loss to Como in the Champions League four days earlier, appeared to signal the end of Carrick's tenure. However, he will remain in charge for Saturday's Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Standard Sport understands the club want to give Carrick and his squad the chance to turn their form around after a dismal start to the season, in which their only wins have come against newly-promoted Ipswich and Champions League debutants Sabah.
Neville's Reaction
Neville, the former Manchester United defender, admitted he was "convinced" Carrick would be sacked after the Bournemouth loss and described his survival as a happy surprise.
"I am surprised, but I am happy because I was absolutely certain that what I witnessed on Sunday would be the end of Michael," Neville said on Sky Sports.
"It looked like he was walking round at the end on his own with the players behind him, like it was almost a goodbye lap, he is waving to the fans to say in almost an apologetic manner, but also a goodbye, so I am really surprised that ultimately Michael is still in a job.
"I am happy with it because the fact of the matter is it was very difficult on Sunday. How it is going to go over the next couple of weeks, I have no idea.
"But I hope he can get somehow those players to start playing for him again because they haven't played for him in the last few weeks."
