Michael Carrick has been afforded more time to improve results with Manchester United despite a difficult start to the season, and Jamie Carragher has spoken about how he will be feeling

Jamie Carragher believes that Michael Carrick wants to be "put out of his misery" with Manchester United, with the Liverpudlian explaining that he will never admit it. The 45-year-old has endured a brutal start to the new season, with the Reds sitting 16th in the Premier League table having won just one of their opening eight matches.

As a result, Carrick has seen his long-term future with the club called into question, especially considering how ruthless the top brass of Old Trafford can be in terms of sacking underperforming staff. Saturday's match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge could serve as the straw that breaks the camel's back, unless United come away from west London with something to show for their efforts.

However, Carragher believes that Carrick no longer wants to be at the reins of the club, although he will never publicly say so. Speaking on the Overlap, the Liverpool legend said: "I think he can never say publicly, but I think Michael Carrick would want to PUT OUT of his misery.

"I really do. I think the thought of going into that training ground now, seeing Bruno [Fernandes] and trying to get them and trying to do that team talk before Chelsea when you know the players just aren't having you at all.

"Those players know that Michael Carrick's not going to be there in two or three weeks. He knows it, they know it, everybody, we know it."

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It comes as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to fly into London to watch United's clash with Chelsea in the flesh, only adding to the pressure in the English capital on Saturday afternoon. However, it may not just be Carrick who is feeling the heat at present.

Sources close to the club have suggested that Ratcliffe could scrutinise the performances of technical director, Jason Wilcox, and CEO, Omar Berrada, and make a decision on their own positions with the club.

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According to Nicky Butt, meanwhile, all three may be the cause of United's struggles at present. Speaking on a recent instalment of the Good, the Bad and the Football, he said: "Listen, I'm going to point the finger at Jason, and it's not all about.

"If you put, let's say, a Darren Fletcher in that job, he'd get a bit of, 'Okay, he's not done it before but he knows what the football club's about.' 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, that's why he got the job.

"Because he's the best. Now, if you're not the best, which you'd have to have some sort of feeling for that football club, in my opinion, Jason's not the best of the best, and he's not got the experience of the football club.

"So straight away, we're putting in to that football club at the decision-making level, as in a CEO, a sporting director, even you could say a manager - let's be honest about Michael - is they've all got L plates on their heads.

"You're working at one of the biggest football clubs in the world. You can't do that, you just can't. There's too many learner drivers within that set-up."