What has gone wrong with Manchester United? Michael Carrick arrived with a flourish, winning matches and showing that he was the man to take over from Ruben Amorim to take Manchester United out of the rut it was in. But his romance with the Red Devils was short-lived.

The team are now down on the English Premier League log, sitting at almost rock bottom at number 16. Never in living memory has this iconic team been so low on the table. Yes, they were relegated five times a long time ago, but not during the Premier League era. Now their very survival in the Premier League is at stake.

Once Old Trafford was a feared venue, especially for the lower clubs. But now clubs have no fear when going to Old Trafford. In their latest encounter, Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth. This has never happened before. Now it’s happening regularly. Old Trafford must be a sorry sight. I feel sorry for Manchester United fans.

They held their heads in shame as they could barely watch their great team being beaten on their home ground at the weekend. But not so the other teams in the Premier League. They must be happy that the dominance of Manchester United is over. And with Manchester City in deep trouble for cheating, the race to the top becomes “Mich” easier. Did the management make a mistake with Carrick?

T. Markandan Kloof