Manchester United's management is preparing to hold an emergency meeting, Monday, to discuss the future of coach Michael Carrick, in light of mounting pressure to dismiss him, following the harsh 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
United suffered their sixth defeat in 12 matches, putting them ahead by only one point from the relegation zone in the English Premier League, putting Carrick’s future at stake, according to what was reported by the British newspaper “The Daily Telegraph”.
Director of Football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada are scheduled to meet, along with club officials, to discuss the next steps, after no official decision had been issued regarding the coach’s future until Sunday evening.
Calls for Carrick's dismissal increased after the decline in results. Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, described his continuation as “unsustainable,” while Gary Neville, the former United captain, considered his dismissal “likely necessary.”
In conjunction with these developments, the club's management began studying the options available to succeed him, led by Eddie Howe, the former coach of Newcastle, and Julian Nagelsmann, the former coach of Bayern Munich and the German national team, amid a trend among some officials towards hiring a coach with experience in the English Premier League.
The list of potential candidates also includes Unai Emery, coach of Aston Villa, and Fabian Horzeler, coach of Brighton, in addition to Antonio Conte, former coach of Chelsea and Tottenham, and Kieran McKenna. But contracting with Emery or Horzeler may be expensive and complicated in negotiations.
This crisis comes only 10 months after Carrick took over the job, succeeding Portuguese Ruben Amorim. If he is dismissed, United will be in the process of appointing its fourth permanent coach since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took charge of daily operations at the club in 2024.
The loss to Bournemouth came after United lost to Italian Como 1-4 in the Champions League, exacerbating the team's crisis amid public anger that affected the club's management, owners and players.
Carrick confirmed that he does not know whether he will continue his mission, stressing that he will continue his work normally until a decision is made.
He said: “I completely understand the situation, and I do not expect anything in either direction.” “I will continue my work as usual. I love this club, and I will always do what I think is best for it, whatever decision is made.”
He added: “It is a difficult situation, and this cannot be ignored. I don't know what will happen next, but I love my job and feel responsible. I bear responsibility for my position, and I respect the amount of responsibility placed on my shoulders.”
The coach indicated that he had not yet discussed his future with Wilcox or Berrada, although the latter appeared shocked in the main box when Bournemouth scored their second goal before the end of the first half.
Carragher considered that Carrick was now in a difficult situation to continue; Pointing out the pressure the coach is under, especially after his decision to exclude team captain Bruno Fernandes from the starting lineup and not include him against Bournemouth.
The Portuguese midfielder criticized Carrick's tactical choices following the loss to Como, which increased tension within the team.
For his part, Neville believed that Carrick's continuation would be extremely difficult, considering that club officials might make a decision that would anger the fans, but it might be necessary in light of the current crisis.
Despite the criticism directed at the management and players, United fans expressed their support for Carrick during the match, before booing the players after they entered the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms.
The coach seemed emotional after the final whistle. He walked around the field applauding the fans who chanted his name, and placed his hand on his heart, which raised questions about the possibility that he was bidding farewell to the club. But he denied this, stressing his appreciation for the fans’ support.
“It was not a farewell tour,” he said. I have always felt the support of the fans and the connection that unites me with them. “It will take me some time to process what happened, but I appreciate their support.”
He added that the players are going through a difficult period, and that the loss left a clear impact on the dressing room, stressing that they feel responsible for what is happening.
On the other hand, Neville criticized the players' performance, considering that they no longer make the required effort, and that they control their level of performance according to their desire.
Despite the disappointing performance, defender Harry Maguire defended his coach, stressing that the players bear a large part of the responsibility for the decline in results.
Maguire, who took the captaincy in Fernandez's absence, said: “We are not currently providing enough as players. “Michael changed the course of our season last year, and we played great football and achieved outstanding results, but this season we did not perform at the required level on an individual level.”
He added: “We have to find a solution, and each player must review himself and think about what he can do better to help the team. If we do that, we will be able to advance.”
The numbers reflect the scale of the crisis that Manchester United is experiencing. The loss to Bournemouth was his third defeat, 0-3, against the same team in their last 4 confrontations at Old Trafford, a series in which he conceded 13 goals, which raises doubts about Carrick’s ability to lead the team out of its crisis.
Kylian Mbappe, the Spanish football team player for Real Madrid, celebrated the “collective victory” over Barcelona, which brought Real Madrid back into the fight for the Spanish League title, and said that the victory sent a “good message” to the competitors.
Mbappe scored two goals in the “El Clásico” match that was held on Sunday, including his 100th goal in a Real Madrid shirt, leading the team to a 2-1 victory over Barcelona.
The result reduced the difference between the two teams to 3 points in favor of the Catalan club.
“In the end, winning and staying in the title race is extremely important for us,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV. But we have to keep working. We know it is a big match, but it is worth 3 points, and we need to score a lot of points to win the league.”
He added: “Today we sent a good message, but we cannot think that the season is over; Because matters have not been resolved yet.”
Real Madrid is still one point behind Atletico Madrid, who is in second place, after achieving 5 consecutive victories in various competitions since the international break.
“It's a collective win,” Mbappe said. Credit goes to the team and the group; Because we knew that we had to play with manliness, but also with the spirit of one team. We prepared well in our last matches, won and performed well. We entered this match with the right mentality, and today we gave it everything we had.”
Barcelona's victory would have given the Catalan team a 9-point advantage over Real Madrid, and would have made it the first team to win in its first ten matches in the Spanish League. Barcelona had equaled Real Madrid's record, which achieved 9 victories in its first 9 matches during the 1968-1969 season.
But Mbappe ended Barcelona's winning streak with the winning goal, which he scored in the 87th minute, reaching his 100th goal in the 116 matches he played in a Real Madrid shirt.
Mbappe said: “If we want to have any chance of achieving achievements this year, we have to do it as a group and as a team. Because the quality is there. When you look at the players here, anyone who says there is no quality is lying. But we have to do everything as a team and a cohesive group; Because this is how we will achieve what we aspire to.”
He added: “Everyone knows that I love scoring goals and helping the team in this way, but I think that today is just a detail. This victory will give the group great confidence, and there will be many other goals, so this matter is not that important.”
