Three key reasons Man Utd would be wrong to sack Michael Carrick as Ineos face biggest decision of all – opinion

The future of Michael Carrick at Manchester United is cloaked in mystery after Ineos are now left to decide whether to swing the axe down on his Old Trafford reign.

Manchester United chief executive officer (CEO) Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox both met each other at the Carrington training complex on Monday.

Michael Carrick was also at Carrington on the same day, but Sky Sports reports that he was there to watch Manchester United Under-21s against Hull City Under-21s.

With the 45-year-old United manager’s future hanging in the balance, United In Focus looked at three reasons to keep Carrick at Old Trafford instead of sacking him.

**READ MORE: **Michael Carrick’s fate is sealed in eyes of ‘speechless’ Man Utd cult hero after ‘shambles’ against Bournemouth

1. Ineos will keep the same vicious managerial cycle in place at Man Utd if Michael Carrick is sacked

Manchester United fans are tired of seeing the same repeated pattern since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Bring in a new manager, feel the pop from the ‘manager bounce’ (except in the case of Ruben Amorim), build optimism and then the United coach is fired. Rinse and repeat. A never-ending cycle that has plunged Man Utd into chaos for over a decade.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime have shown that they are willing to keep the same vicious cycle going after sacking both Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag. If Ineos sack Carrick right now — no matter how bad things might be — then it’s back to square one for the same cycle to play out again. Sigh.

**READ MORE: **Man Utd fans have lot to say about Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick after 3-0 Bournemouth defeat

2. Michael Carrick has been flexible with his tactics and should have a chance to dig himself out of this hole

Unlike Ruben Amorim, Michael Carrick has not been all or nothing when it comes to deploying his tactics for Man Utd. For Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, at least they are not dealing with the stubbornness of Amorim and the 41-year-old Portuguese coach’s contentious tactical system.

Sure, the Red Devils are in a woeful place right now, but it is not completely impossible for Carrick to tweak his tactics and begin stabilising United’s results going forward. Steve Holland was widely credited for his work last season in getting United’s defensive shape back in place and it is time for Sir Gareth Southgate’s former England assistant manager to help Carrick adjust his approach.

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3. Ineos’ decision to sack Michael Carrick would be covering their tracks for the squad issues and structural problems at the club

If Carrick is placed on the chopping block, then Ratcliffe should add both Berrada and Wilcox to it as well. It is that simple for United fans. Berrada and Wilcox have already been left red-faced by the ill-fated 14-month reign of Amorim and the sacking of Erik ten Hag in 2024. Three misses lead to a strike — and that must apply to Berrada and Wilcox.

The straightforward point is that Carrick is in the mess that he is right now because of Ineos’ poor management in the summer. Signing Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos were all welcomed as part of the Man Utd midfield rebuild. But no striker or left-back in the same transfer window, despite knowing Carrick could not rely on Benjamin Sesko and Luke Shaw alone? Carrick must stay at Old Trafford or Ratcliffe must make the decision to show Berrada and Wilcox the door at the same time as the Man Utd legend.