Ratcliffe flies in to watch Chelsea vs United as Carrick's job hangs by a thread

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to attend Manchester United’s Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with his presence adding further scrutiny to under-fire manager Michael Carrick, who has managed just one win from the club’s opening eight league matches.

United currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, and their European campaign offers little comfort — one victory from three Champions League matches leaves them 20th in that competition’s standings. A 3-2 Carabao Cup third-round defeat to Brighton compounded an already bleak start to the season.

According to reports, Ratcliffe recently spent time in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, before flying back to England ahead of the weekend fixture. He has attended two of United’s last three visits to Stamford Bridge since acquiring his stake in the club in 2024, but is yet to see them win there.

The stakes extend beyond Carrick alone. Sources speaking to BBC Sport have suggested Ratcliffe may be considering a broader shake-up of the club’s senior leadership, potentially including chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. The speculation follows Dan Ashworth’s departure in December 2024, a move that left a significant void in United’s football operations structure.

Club legend Nicky Butt has been among the most vocal critics of the current setup. Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, the 51-year-old said the leadership currently has “too many learner drivers” at the helm. Butt pointed specifically to Wilcox, suggesting that a figure with deeper ties to the club — such as Darren Fletcher — might have been better placed in the role, regardless of experience.

“If Jason comes in and he is the best of the best, which I believe Dan Ashworth was but didn’t have the experience of Man United,” Butt said, trailing off before completing the thought.

Carrick’s position is made more precarious by recent history. His predecessor Erik ten Hag was dismissed in October 2024 following a similarly poor start, and ten Hag’s own replacement, Ruben Amorim, was shown the door in January of this year. The board’s willingness to act quickly on underperforming managers leaves Carrick with little margin for error against Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea.