Michael Carrick's 'lifeline' could land him into same pattern as five of his six Man Utd predecessors – opinion

Michael Carrick is still the Manchester United manager for now, but the Red Devils legend is set up in a similar territory as most of his predecessors at Old Trafford.

It emerged on Tuesday that Ineos have opted not to axe Michael Carrick from the Old Trafford dugout, despite Manchester United’s woeful run of form this season.

According to BBC Sport, Man Utd insiders have claimed that Carrick has the ‘opportunity to turn things around’ instead of being dismissed from his role.

Carrick oversaw the United first-team squad’s training session at Carrington on Tuesday ahead of the Red Devils’ Premier League away trip on Saturday afternoon.

READ MORE: Man Utd icon Paul Scholes is ‘pretty sure’ Ineos already had solutions to Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba

Michael Carrick could end up getting sacked as Man Utd manager in the same way as five others did at Old Trafford

All eyes are now on how Michael Carrick will approach what is a must-win Premier League encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Red Devils languish in 16th place in the Premier League table after Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

United are only one point above the Premier League relegation zone and another defeat in the 2026-27 campaign could see Ineos sign and seal Carrick’s fate at Old Trafford. Carrick was tipped to face the potential sack from his role as the Red Devils’ head coach after United’s embarrassing home loss to Bournemouth.

However, Carrick could now find himself getting the boot from Old Trafford after an away match. If he had been sacked after the Bournemouth result at the weekend, the 45-year-old would have been the first United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to be dismissed after a home fixture.

Posted below are Man Utd managers’ final matches before they were sacked by the Premier League club.

• David Moyes

  (2013-2014): Man Utd vs Everton (Premier League) — Goodison Park

• Louis van Gaal

  (2014-2016): Man Utd vs Crystal Palace (FA Cup) — Wembley Stadium

• Jose Mourinho

  (2016-2018): Man Utd vs Liverpool (Premier League) — Anfield

• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

  (2018-2021): Man Utd vs Watford (Premier League) — Vicarage Road

• Erik ten Hag

  (2022-2024): Man Utd vs West Ham (Premier League) — London Stadium

• Ruben Amorim

  (2024-2026): Man Utd vs Leeds United (Premier League) — Elland Road

READ MORE: Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt rank all seven Man Utd managers post-Sir Alex Ferguson and agree on No 1 pick

Instead, Carrick could now be axed from Old Trafford the same way as five of his six Man Utd predecessors were since 2013. Louis van Gaal is the only exception when it comes to permanent Man Utd managers being sacked after away matches.

Louis van Gaal, who succeeded David Moyes in 2014, oversaw his last United match at Wembley after the Red Devils defeated Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final in 2016. Otherwise, David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim were all sacked by Man Utd after a Premier League away match.

Carrick is now positioned to either break the pattern or fall into the same camp as his United predecessors for how they all left the Premier League club. The Premier League test at Stamford Bridge carries huge implications for Carrick after he received potentially one final crack at saving his Man Utd role.