Man Utd board undecided on Michael Carrick after 4-4 draw with Aston Villa
Manchester United's board has not reached a final decision on Michael Carrick's future after Sunday's 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Carrick has won 15 out of 32 games since taking over from Ruben Amorim as Manchester United's head coach in January.
The draw left United 18th in the table and represented their worst start to a domestic campaign in 40 years. The match was Carrick's third in charge since the board opted to give the 45-year-old more time to improve matters following a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on 25 October. The hierarchy believed both Carrick and the players had earned an opportunity to turn results around and felt November's two-week break would allow a calmer reassessment.
The board are weighing up that reassessment after three matches that produced one win, one draw and one defeat and saw United concede eight goals in that period. The 4-4 scoreline required United to score twice in stoppage-time to secure a share of the points in an eight-goal thriller. Dropping into the relegation zone and the frequency of goals conceded are cited as clear negatives by the club's decision-makers.
Club sources say the players' response to recent adversity has also influenced thinking, with United fighting back from two goals down on three occasions across the past two games, a factor taken as evidence of backing for Carrick within the squad. After the Bournemouth defeat the board explored replacement options, with ex-Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and former Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann among those considered.
Carrick stated after the Aston Villa draw that he would not step down. The club's chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are expected to play influential roles in any final decision on the manager's future.
Defensive issues have compounded United's problems: only Crystal Palace and Ipswich have conceded more than United's 19 league goals, and the team have let in 15 goals in their past three matches in all competitions. Their only clean sheet this term came against Azerbaijan title winners Sabah FK in the Champions League. "All the Premier League teams, whether they play home or away against Manchester United, fancy their chances because you can open them up and score goals," former United assistant boss Rene Meulensteen told BBC Radio Five Live. "No matter what combination you find it's just not good enough. I think Michael Carrick will be constantly puzzled as to what back four he can play because there's no certainty they can keep a clean sheet."
Full-back Diogo Dalot took the brunt of fan ire at Old Trafford on Sunday, with loud cheers when his number was shown to confirm he was being replaced followed by boos as he reached the dugout. Substitute Joshua Zirkzee, who suffered similar treatment when he was replaced after half an hour of a home defeat to Newcastle in December 2024, made a point of hugging Dalot as he returned to the bench. On whether Dalot should be protected from criticism Carrick said: "We've got to be careful with that," he said. "I understand the frustration and I understand the disappointment of the supporters, I get it. We're all frustrated, we're all disappointed, and the players are as much as anyone, I guarantee you that. "Diogo gives absolutely everything. He's played in different positions and played really well at times. "He gives a penalty away. He knows that. Maybe he can do a little bit better. He made a mistake. But I like what he brings to the team. He cares an awful lot and he's giving everything."
United travel to Liverpool on 22 November for their first match after the international break, and they have recorded just one league win so far this term — their lowest position having played 10 matches since the 1986-87 campaign. Following the Anfield trip, five of United's next seven league opponents are in the bottom half of the table, including meetings with Coventry, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, all scheduled to take place at Old Trafford.
