Jim Ratcliffe's Man Utd blunders could see Red Devils eye-watering bill increase to £36m

· Mirror

Manchester United are facing another very difficult decision over the future of their manager Michael Carrick following a dismal start to the new Premier League season

Manchester United's managerial mistakes could see the club end up paying nearly £40m in various compensation packages. Current boss Michael Carrick is clinging to his job following a disastrous start to the season that reached new lows with a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth over the weekend.

Carrick has been at the centre of crisis talks with United chiefs on Monday, with a decision yet to be taken over his future. And should he leave Old Trafford, that could see the Red Devils fork out yet another considerable severance package.

As of yet, it is not known how much United would have to pay out should they choose to sack Carrick. Any amount of compensation would add considerably to the amounts that the club have been forced to fork out under Sir Jim Ratcliffe since he seized control.

United paid around £11m to sack former boss Erik ten Hag and his staff during the INEOS boss' first year at the helm. He then paid out another chunk of £11m to buy Ruben Amorim out of his deal with Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese coach's stint at the club was a disaster, with Ratcliffe and his club colleagues paying out a further £8.2m to sack him. Another hefty bill could potentially be on the way with a new manager.

Ex-Newcastle boss Howe is among the frontrunners but one issue remains regarding a move for his services. When he left St James’ Park in the summer, Howe still had a number of years left to run on his deal, with a compensation package thought to be worth around £6m written into it, according to the Daily Telegraph, bringing the amount that the club have paid to hire and fire managers to around £36m before any severance package heading Carrick's way.

It is suggested that Howe would listen to an approach from the Red Devils but would need some convincing to return to the dugout so soon. Links with Howe come at the same time that some of his previous comments about his demands in a job have resurfaced.

Speaking in 2022, he said:

> "I felt that if I was to come into a pressured job like [Celtic], I needed to go in with a sense of stability.

> "I could have recruited new staff, but then you're working each other out and there's a transition process where it probably takes three, four, five months. That's five months too late. I needed my staff with me and we couldn't get them together."

Howe is not the only name that has been mentioned as a potential Carrick replacement. Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is an obvious candidate, while Julian Nagelsmann is also available, having left his role as Germany boss after a disastrous World Cup campaign.

Meanwhile, Carrick appeared to suggest that his job could be under threat after the defeat to Bournemouth. He said:

> "Listen, it's a tough situation. There's no hiding from it. What it looks like, what's next, I really don't know. But I'll always do what's best for this football club.

> “I've said it all along. I don't change that now. I love what I do, I love the position I'm in and I feel the responsibility, but we'll have to wait and see.”

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