Carrick survives United axe for now despite 4-1 thrashing as fan poll demands sack

Michael Carrick will remain in charge of Manchester United for Sunday’s Premier League home fixture against Bournemouth, the club confirmed, despite a humiliating 4-1 defeat away to Champions League debutants Como on Wednesday that left United seven games without a win.

Carrick, 45, will hold his pre-match press conference on Friday as scheduled, with Old Trafford sending a clear ‘business as usual’ message — even as pressure on the manager intensifies. United sit 13th in the Premier League table and have already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup, a stark fall from the winning run Carrick oversaw as interim manager last season.

The defeat in Como represented a new low for Carrick’s first full season in charge, and a Mirror Football reader poll conducted in its aftermath found that 54 per cent of respondents want him sacked, with the remaining 46 per cent believing he deserves more time.

The United hierarchy, however, are standing by the manager they handed a two-year contract in May. Reports have nonetheless linked former Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann with the role should Carrick be dismissed, while Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is also said to have admirers at Old Trafford.

Carrick’s composed public manner visibly cracked in Como, where he was asked whether his players were still behind him. “I’d like to think so,” he said. “I didn’t like what I saw tonight, though. It’s not about playing for me, it’s about playing for this football club. It’s the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I’m responsible for the football club and the supporters.”

The manager also addressed United’s 700 travelling supporters, most of whom had left before the final whistle. “I care an unbelievable amount about the supporters. They are the heartbeat of this football club and they always will be. For them to travel, I had to apologise for the performance. There are no excuses at all. It is not acceptable.”

Carrick added that he continues to give everything he has to the role. “My whole life’s wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can.” Whether that is enough to turn results around before the board’s patience runs out remains the defining question hanging over Old Trafford.