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Michael Carrick may not survive the international break at Manchester United(Image: 2026 James Gill - Danehouse)
Michael Carrick may be on borrowed time with his job as Manchester United boss nearing its end.
The head coach has presided over the club's worst start to a season in Premier League history and is expected to be sacked today. United sit 18th in the table and have earned just one win in their opening 10 league games - the lowest amount so far this campaign.
Carrick's future has dominated discussions for a matter of months and while meetings take place over the international break, the 45-year-old remains at the centre of an impassioned tug-of-war between those calling for immediate decisive action and those pleading for stability.
It's a situation that has divided opinion across the football world, including United icons such as Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes. Here are seven pundits who are sharply polarised on whether Carrick should face dismissal from his former club.
Gary Neville admitted that while Carrick's position is in immediate danger, sacking the former England international will solve the overarching issues at Old Trafford. "Michael Carrick did that last season - so you can paper over the cracks and get a new manager bounce,” Neville told NBC Sports.
"When the new manager comes in, everybody's happy for a couple of months and all of a sudden, six months later, it happens again. You can keep changing the manager and thinking that's going to be the answer. But this has been proven now over eight managers in 12 years, that's not the answer.
Gary Neville said sacking Michael Carrick will not solve Manchester United's issues (Image: NBC Sports)
"Michael could leave, Michael might stay, we don't know, the ownership don't have a clue what to do. It's rinse and repeat. Amorim, Ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carrick, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, Ralf Rangnick - some of them are world class managers who have had success, there are a lot of promising young managers there, ex players who know the club as well.
"None of it has worked because if you recruit badly, if you've got poor performance department, poor recruitment department, you've not got leadership that is strong right through the spine of the football club you will fail."
The former United captain was joined on NBC Sports by brother Phil, who lamented the club's defence in their 4-4 draw against Aston Villa. The ex-Lionesses boss said United's backline is one capable of getting Carrick sacked.
He said: "The back four that finished the game – [Noussair] Mazraoui, [Lenny] Yoro, [Ayden] Heaven and Dorgu – that gets you relegated.
"That back four gets you the sack as a manager and that back four cannot keep United, I don’t think, in the Premier League. That back four gets you relegated, it’s poor. It’s not good enough to play in the Premier League."
Not one to hold his tongue, Roy Keane likened Carrick to a "politician" after Sunday's thrilling clash and claimed United's struggles will continue under the Englishman's reign. “It’s obviously difficult for the manager," he said on Sky Sports. "Under pressure, no doubt. He talks a lot but doesn’t say much. I don’t know if that’s a tactic. Like a politician.
Roy Keane called the Man United boss a "politician"(Image: Sky Sports)
"He keeps saying we need to tighten up and there’s things we need to work on. But they better get moving on that. It’s the worst start in how many years, all these stats aren’t very good. If you keep giving up goals and chances, it’s just going to continue.
"What are we expecting to change over the next few weeks and months? What are they working on? They need to do a lot better than that."
The former Liverpool captain said Carrick does not possess the squad quality required to dig himself - and the club -out of trouble. "Brighton in the Carabao Cup, 2-0 up and lose 3-2, that is unprecedented and does not happen at Old Trafford, except it does with this team," Jamie Redknapp said in September.
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"I do not see enough connections in that midfield and they look devoid of any confidence, ideas, or patterns of play, playing out the back and Tottenham were just much better than them in every department, but that is just a theme this season.
"Their energy levels are not good enough and they look loose going forward, there was no real structure. The squad is not good or strong enough and Michael [Carrick] needs help in that respect."
Paul Scholes believes Antonio Conte should be the leading managerial candidate at Old Trafford(Image: The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast)
Paul Scholes played alongside Carrick in several title-winning teams under Sir Alex Ferguson, but sang Antonio Conte's praises ahead of Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann as the man who must be appointed at United to transform the club.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football, he said: "You’d have to pick a manager who you think will get us back to being a competitive team for the Premier League. Out of them three, Antonio Conte’s the man, but he comes with a big f***ing massive warning."
Regaining confidence as a battered and bruised club is a tall order and it's something that has happened to Carrick and United, according to Spurs icon Chris Waddle. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live after 1-1 draw with United in September, he said: "I think Tottenham looked promising there, first half they were very good.
"Second half Man Utd upped the tempo. Tottenham have played very well. United have got work to do. They've lost confidence and need to build that back up. But at the minute, I think both teams will do OK this season. They just need confidence."
Parting ways with Carrick has been described as "ludicrous" by Jamie Carragher, who instead said the United boss should be allowed to see the season out before the club recruiting a top-level manager to replace him next summer.
Speaking on The Overlap, the Liverpool legend said: "I think it would be ludicrous to get rid of Michael Carrick. Maybe this is where people think I'm having a go at him. In my mind I don't see Michael Carrick as the Man United manager.
Jamie Carragher believes Carrick should retain his position(Image: (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images))
"I feel like he's in there doing a job for the club to get them through a rocky period and then almost to pass on the baton. They need another season of just making it straight in the Champions League. That's the way I see it.
"And then it would be the case of [getting] one of the top managers about who could manage a club of that level. I don't like the idea of changing Michael Carrick now or in the next international break - it just needs to be relaxed."
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