Carrick's dressing-room explosions failed to halt Man United's slide into the relegation zone

Michael Carrick was sacked as Manchester United head coach on 12 November after winning just one of ten Premier League matches this season, a record that left the club stranded in 18th place and deep in a relegation battle.

Despite consistently shielding his players in public, Carrick was far less restrained behind closed doors, according to a report from The Athletic. The former United midfielder reportedly picked his moments to confront the squad directly, with the Amazon documentary cameras capturing at least some of what unfolded inside the club.

The first notable flashpoint came last season following a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United, where a last-minute William Osula goal sealed the loss. Carrick reportedly delivered a fierce dressing-room tirade afterwards — and United did not lose another match for the remainder of that campaign.

This season, a similar intervention appeared to carry less weight. After United were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium — Ainsley Maitland-Niles equalising with the last kick of the game to cancel out a 2-1 lead — Carrick again tore into his squad. The response was markedly different. United failed to win any of their next seven Premier League fixtures, and some within the club felt Carrick had not gone far enough, with comparisons drawn to Sir Alex Ferguson’s willingness to single out individual players.

The broader picture was damaging. United dropped points from a winning position against Tottenham at Old Trafford even after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off, drew 1-1 away at a Fulham side also in the relegation zone, and lost the Manchester Derby at home despite City being reduced to ten men. Their only wins across all competitions during the period were a 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah and a 3-2 comeback against Roma.

Reports also indicate Carrick had direct exchanges with individual players in the dressing room beyond the collective outbursts, though details of those conversations remain incomplete. The cumulative failure to convert moments of dominance into results ultimately cost him his job, with United now searching for a new head coach as they attempt to climb out of the bottom three.