Carrick faces early pressure as United's history of managerial crises looms large

Michael Carrick is under mounting pressure at Manchester United after a single win from five Premier League fixtures and a shock EFL Cup exit against Brighton have cast a shadow over his tenure just months into his permanent role.

Carrick, 45, signed a deal until 2028 after guiding United to Champions League qualification as interim manager — a run that included 12 wins in 17 Premier League games. That momentum has stalled sharply, with United sitting 12th in the table heading into their home fixture against fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur after the international break.

The early turbulence has drawn comparisons to the circumstances that undid his predecessors. Ruben Amorim was sacked in January 2026 following a 14-month reign that produced a record-low 15th-place Premier League finish in 2024/25. During that period, the club went without an away win until a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in December, and an embarrassing Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town intensified scrutiny on his position.

Reports from that time indicated that chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox held direct conversations with key players — including captain Bruno Fernandes — to gauge the mood inside the dressing room before the decision to part ways with Amorim was made.

The situation echoed the circumstances surrounding Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in October 2024, which followed a seven-hour meeting at co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Knightsbridge offices in London. Co-owner Joel Glazer, Berrada, then-sporting director Dan Ashworth, and Wilcox were all present, along with board member Jean-Claude Blanc, chief operating officer Collette Roche, and chief financial officer Roger Bell. Ten Hag was fired shortly after.

While no meeting of that scale is reported to be imminent regarding Carrick’s position, the pattern of boardroom intervention at United means the new manager will be acutely aware that results need to improve quickly. A congested fixture list over the coming weeks, beginning with the Tottenham clash at Old Trafford, will go a long way toward defining the early trajectory of his reign.