Carrick survives United axe as Rooney demands players 'deserve to wear the shirt'

Michael Carrick will remain Manchester United manager after surviving calls for his dismissal following Sunday’s 1–0 home defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford, with the club’s hierarchy deciding against an immediate change after crunch talks involving chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox, and co-owners the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Carrick had been widely expected to be sacked in the aftermath of the result, which came amid obvious unrest in the dressing room. Both Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes had made controversial public statements, and Fernandes was dropped entirely for the Bournemouth fixture after criticising Carrick’s tactics following the Champions League defeat to Como — he did not even come off the bench.

According to ESPN, one significant factor in the decision to retain Carrick was the reception he received from supporters at Old Trafford on Sunday. While fans directed anger at the club’s owners and hierarchy, Carrick was cheered as he left the pitch ahead of the players, who were roundly booed. The club’s leadership has reportedly acknowledged that United’s problems run deeper than the identity of the manager.

Doubts over the leading candidates to replace him — understood to include Antonio Conte, Eddie Howe, and Julian Nagelsmann — also contributed to the decision to keep Carrick in place, according to The Sun.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Chelsea, where Carrick will face fresh scrutiny over his team selection and whether Fernandes returns to the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, club legend and record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has delivered a scathing verdict on the playing squad. Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said the players had no grounds to complain about criticism given their performances.

“What’s not fair is the performances they’re giving,” Rooney said. “I looked at the fans, you could see the pain and anger in their faces when them players are walking around the football pitch. I’d love to go in that dressing room and say, ‘What the f*** are you all doing? Do you think you deserve to wear the shirt?’”

Rooney also singled out Martinez’s defensive display, pointing to the moment Bournemouth’s Rayan Aït-Nouri ran past him as emblematic of a squad he described as “numb” and lacking the basic drive to compete. “I could score a goal, had ability or whatever, I f** ran and put myself about as a team,” he added. “These players are not doing that.”

United’s season continues to unravel, with the club now looking to Carrick — at least in the short term — to arrest a slide that has left them well off the pace in the Premier League.