Carrick under pressure ahead of Aston Villa after Roma win

Michael Carrick will take charge of Manchester United against Aston Villa at Old Trafford this weekend after guiding United to a comeback 3-2 Champions League win over Roma on Tuesday, a result that offered temporary relief as he fights to keep his job.

United’s victory over Roma came from a 2-0 half-time deficit and featured two late goals by Matheus Cunha to complete the turnaround, ending a run of nine games without a victory — the club’s longest winless sequence since the 1988/89 season — but Carrick remains under intense pressure as the international break approaches.

When United trailed 2-0 at half-time against Roma their prospects looked bleak, yet the team recovered to win 3-2 at Old Trafford, with Cunha’s goals decisive in a match that halted the nine-game winless stretch.

The club’s league position is precarious: United could be bottom of the Premier League when the domestic fixtures kick off on Sunday if other results go against them, and the upcoming international break will give the club’s hierarchy an opportunity to consider long-term options.

Unai Emery has been tipped as a potential candidate for the Manchester United job in media coverage, but reports suggest he is close to signing a new deal with the Birmingham club, a development that bears on the club’s recruitment options.

Manchester City will seek to avoid a rare third straight league defeat when it faces Nottingham Forest as it attempts to keep pace with leader Arsenal; City is also awaiting the outcome of disciplinary proceedings after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules, with a huge points deduction one potential punishment.

Opta’s “expected points” table, which orders the Premier League based on expected goals for and against, places Oliver Glasner’s team in third — 16 places higher than it sits in the actual league table — and while on paper this weekend’s fixtures look straightforward, City’s trip to Nottingham Forest is singled out as potentially trickier than it appears.

United host Aston Villa this weekend and Manchester City travel to Nottingham Forest, after which the international break arrives and club officials will have an opportunity to assess managerial and squad options.