Manchester United, a club whose identity has long been shaped by the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson, find themselves again asking whether a manager's hard-won opportunity has run out. Michael Carrick, who rose from interim caretaker to a full role on the strength of a remarkable run earlier this year, now sits with a team mired in its worst start in nearly four decades. His future will be weighed on Wednesday in Monaco, where the directors must decide whether patience or change better serves a club that has changed managers so often since 1986 that continuity itself has become the question.
Carrick Under Pressure as Man Utd Weigh Pochettino, Conte, Emery and Howe for Managerial Shortlist
One win in ten, and the lowest start in 40 years
Mark
Why is this meeting in Monaco such a big moment?
Mimi
Because the numbers are stark. One win in ten, 18th place, the worst start since 1986-87. Directors are weighing Carrick's ten months in charge.
Mark
And the history makes it heavier?
Mimi
Yes. Another change would be the eighth permanent manager since Ferguson, matching the previous 68 years combined.
Luke
Worth noting the meeting is to discuss his future. The reporting doesn't say he's been sacked or that a decision is made.
Mark
Carrick did well earlier, didn't he?
Mimi
Very well. As interim from January he had the most wins and points in the league for the rest of last season. That makes this slump harder to read.
Luke
Right, but the shortlist is BBC Sport's list of leading candidates, not confirmed club targets. Nothing here says United have approached anyone.
Mark
Who looks realistic?
Mimi
Emery seems unlikely, with a new Villa contract expected. Pochettino has a reported buyout of $10m, and Howe left Newcastle in the summer.
Luke
That buyout figure is reported, not confirmed. And Conte's clashes are described as reported too. Treat them as attributed.
Il Polso
- United have won just one of their opening ten Premier League matches and sit 18th, a single point above the relegation zone.
- Directors gather in Monaco on Wednesday to decide whether Michael Carrick's ten-month reign survives the slide.
- A sacking would make Carrick the eighth permanent manager since Ferguson retired, matching the number of changes in the previous 68 years.
- Pochettino's reported buyout clause and Conte's proven record place them at the front of the shortlist, while Emery's expected Villa contract narrows the field.
- The outcome hinges on Wednesday's verdict and whether any leading candidate is willing and able to step in.
Manchester United, a club whose identity has long been shaped by the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson, find themselves again asking whether a manager's hard-won opportunity has run out. Michael Carrick, who rose from interim caretaker to a full role on the strength of a remarkable run earlier this year, now sits with a team mired in its worst start in nearly four decades. His future will be weighed on Wednesday in Monaco, where the directors must decide whether patience or change better serves a club that has changed managers so often since 1986 that continuity itself has become the question.
Manchester United have won once in their first ten Premier League games, their worst opening to a top-flight season since 1986-87, and they sit 18th, just one point above Crystal Palace. On Wednesday the directors meet in Monaco to weigh the future of Michael Carrick, whose ten months in charge now face heavy scrutiny.
The stakes reach beyond one manager. Should Carrick, 45, go, he would become United's eighth permanent boss since Ferguson retired 13 years ago, matching the total of changes made in the 68 years after Sir Matt Busby arrived in 1945.
Carrick's record is split in two. As interim boss from January he collected more wins and points than any Premier League manager over the rest of last season. This term has gone badly, with three wins in 15 games in all competitions, though comebacks against Roma and a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa showed some fight.
The candidates include Mauricio Pochettino, admired by United for a decade and with a reported buyout clause, and Antonio Conte, whose record in England is the strongest of the group. Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Unai Emery were also named. Emery looks the least likely to move, as he is expected to sign a new deal at Villa. The real questions after Wednesday are whether Carrick keeps his job and whether any of these men would be ready to take it.
Manchester United have won once in their first ten Premier League matches, their worst start to a top-flight season since 1986-87. They sit 18th, a single point above bottom club Crystal Palace. On Wednesday the club's directors will gather in Monaco to discuss the future of head coach Michael Carrick, whose ten months in the job are now under heavy scrutiny.
The stakes go beyond one man. If Carrick, 45, is removed, he would be United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired 13 years ago. That would equal the number of changes the club made over the previous 68 years, going back to Sir Matt Busby's appointment in 1945.
Carrick's record is a tale of two periods. After taking over as interim boss in January, he collected more wins (12) and points (39) than any other Premier League manager for the rest of the 2025-26 season. This term the wheels have come off: three wins from 15 matches in all competitions, and 18th is United's lowest position after ten games in 40 years. It is also only the second time the club have gone eight league games without a win. There has been some fight, with comebacks to beat Roma and to salvage a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, but the overall numbers are damning. Across 29 Premier League games he has won 14, a points-per-game figure of 1.76.
BBC Sport has laid out the leading candidates. Mauricio Pochettino, 54, has been admired by United for a decade. He built Tottenham's best team in a generation and averaged 1.89 points per game there, the best of any Spurs manager with 25 or more Premier League games, but lost a Champions League final and a League Cup final. He won Ligue 1 and the French Cup at Paris St-Germain, then lost the 2024 League Cup final to Liverpool at Chelsea. He took the USA to the World Cup last 16 on home soil and signed a deal through 2030, though he has said he has unfinished business in the Premier League. His contract reportedly holds a $10m (£7.44m) buyout clause, and is understood to allow exits for certain high-profile jobs.
Antonio Conte, 57, has the strongest record: five Serie A titles, a Premier League and an FA Cup, with a 62.9% win rate in England. Chelsea won 30 of 38 league games in his first season, 2016-17. He left Napoli this summer, a year after delivering their fourth top-flight title. But he reportedly clashed with players and the board at Chelsea, and left Tottenham in 2023 after criticising the players and the club's culture.
Julian Nagelsmann, 39, has no Premier League experience. He became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history at 28 with Hoffenheim, reached a Champions League semi-final with RB Leipzig, and won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, though he reportedly fell out with key players and did not last a second full season. He stepped down as Germany boss this summer after a World Cup last-32 loss to Paraguay. United's director of recruitment Christopher Vivell worked with him at Leipzig.
Eddie Howe, 48, took Bournemouth to the top flight for the first time and won Newcastle's first major domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup, beating Liverpool in the League Cup final. He also delivered two top-five finishes and a return to the Champions League after 20 years. He left in the summer after a 12th-placed finish, and Newcastle would be due only modest compensation.
Unai Emery, 55, looks the least gettable. He has won five Europa Leagues, and at Aston Villa since October 2022 he ended a 30-year wait for silverware with last season's Europa League. He is expected to sign a new contract there.
After Wednesday's meeting, the questions are whether the directors keep faith with Carrick, and whether any of these men, Pochettino through his buyout clause, Conte through his record, would be prepared to come.
Citazioni salienti
Pochettino has always made clear he has unfinished business in the Premier League.— BBC Sport analysis
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