LONDON (AFP) -- Michael Carrick drove away from Manchester United's training ground Tuesday with his future hanging in the balance after the latest contentious move by the troubled club's chaotic hierarchy.
Carrick had awoken to reports that he would be sacked after a torrid start to the season left United languishing in the Premier League relegation zone.
It would be hard for even Carrick's most ardent supporter to complain if the axe fell following United's worst start to a campaign in 40 years.
But, in keeping with the muddled thinking that seems to afflict United's leadership whenever it is faced with a major decision, Carrick got back in his car after Tuesday's training session still none the wiser about his fate.
Rather than put Carrick out of his misery -- or hand him an unexpected reprieve -- the 45-year-old United boss was left to twist in the wind.
His future will be decided by influential shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of soccer Jason Wilcox at a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday.
Although no final decision is said to have been made, Berrada and Wilcox are reportedly leaning toward dismissing Carrick.
Ratcliffe and United's owners, the Glazer family, would likely accept that recommendation, plunging the club into yet another managerial crisis.
Weary of their team's steep decline since its last English title in 2013, United fans could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu.
Just two years ago, Erik ten Hag led United out at Wembley for the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City amid intense speculation that he would be sacked regardless of the result.
But United's shock win forced Ratcliffe to spend weeks debating Ten Hag's future, including an offseason meeting with Thomas Tuchel in Monaco that ended with the German rejecting the job.
Ten Hag was eventually handed a one-year contract extension before the 2024-25 season.
Yet when results dipped at the start of that campaign, he was sacked just three months after being given the new deal.
"They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication. The promises, they didn't keep," Ten Hag fumed.
It was a damning indictment of Ratcliffe and his circle of advisers, including then-sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ashworth's brief tenure at United underlined the dysfunction gripping the corridors of power at Old Trafford.
Lured from Newcastle, Ashworth lasted just five months before leaving by mutual consent in 2024, reportedly because he disagreed with the decision to hire Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's replacement.
Perhaps they should have listened because Amorim's miserable 14-month reign ended acrimoniously in January this year after he warned his bosses to stop interfering.
Carrick stepped into the breach as interim boss, and his humble demeanor initially served as a welcome tonic to Amorim's scorched-earth approach.
United qualified for the Champions League, earning Carrick a permanent contract.
But it was a risky move by United's leadership given the former Middlesbrough manager's lack of coaching experience at the highest level.
Hampered by United's disappointing transfer window, Carrick came under fire after an embarrassing opening-weekend loss at Hull.
Reports suggested he was certain to be sacked following a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, but United surprisingly granted him a reprieve.
United finally showed some fight in a dramatic win over Roma last week and a last-gasp draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Has Carrick built a siege mentality among his squad that could ease the threat of a first relegation since 1974?
United's hierarchy appears uncertain, postponing its decision until the Monaco summit while considering whom to hire if it does wield the axe.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to have told United he is open to accepting the poisoned chalice despite recently extending his US national team contract until 2030.
Eddie Howe, Unai Emery, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann have also been linked with the 20-time English champions.
But as United defender Lisandro Martínez pointedly said last month: "You can't keep changing, changing, changing manager? What about other areas?"
Regardless of that warning, Carrick is likely to be fired after one win in 10 league games, while Berrada and Wilcox are believed to be safe.
"I'm pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there," Carrick said recently, although his words lacked conviction.
Until United's hierarchy develops a coherent vision of its own, the fallen giant will continue to lurch from one crisis to another.
