Man Utd Make Michael Carrick Sack Decision After Fulham Draw

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Manchester United have made a decision over Carrick's future after a poor start to the 2026-27 campaign

Manchester United appear to have made their decision over whether to sack Michael Carrick during the three-week international break following a dismal start to the 2026-27 season.

Carrick was appointed Man Utd’s permanent manager in May after guiding the Red Devils to an unlikely third-place finish in the Premier League after replacing Ruben Amorim in January.

The former Middlesbrough manager, who won five Premier League titles as a player at Old Trafford, signed a two-year contract after getting United back into the Champions League .

However, Carrick has only managed to secure five points from United’s first five Premier League fixtures at the start of the new campaign, leaving his side languishing 12th in the table.

Man Utd began their campaign with a shock 2-0 defeat away at promoted Hull City before bouncing back with a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town - their only league victory of the campaign so far.

United were held to a 2-2 draw away at Everton on September 6 before losing 1-0 to 10-man Manchester City at Old Trafford a week ago.

Then, on Sunday afternoon at Craven Cottage, United failed to beat struggling Fulham . Matheus Cunha salvaged a point for the visitors with an 89th-minute equaliser, relieving the pressure on Carrick’s shoulders slightly.

While United hammered Sabah 4-0 in their opening match of the Champions League league phase, last week’s 3-2 defeat at home to Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round - the first time in 50 years Man Utd have lost a home game after going 2-0 up - has left big question marks over Carrick’s future at Old Trafford.

Despite the team’s poor start to the season, though, The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell is reporting there are currently no indications United are considering replacing Carrick as head coach.

His job is currently secure, with sources claiming director of football Jason Wilcox is an ‘advocate for stability’.

It seems Carrick will still be in the Old Trafford dugout when Man Utd resume their Premier League campaign against Tottenham on October 10.

However, the 45-year-old will be expected to formulate a plan to help turn the tide during the three-week international break which is now underway.

Man Utd's Upcoming Fixtures

Date

Opponent

October 10

Tottenham (H)

October 13

Atletico Madrid (A)

October 18

Leeds United (A)

October 21

Como (A)

October 25

Bournemouth (H)

October 31

Chelsea (A)

Former Man Utd captain Gary Neville was particularly scathing of the team’s performance against Fulham, describing their start to the second half as "the worst 15 minutes I have ever seen Manchester United play".

> Speaking on Sky Sports , Neville added: "I've never seen a Man Utd team walk out of possession as much as that. Michael has just said there was nothing wrong with the team's energy.

> "Michael has got to stop defending them. I get why he's defending them; he's loyal, he wants his players to work for him, and obviously there's a long way to go in the season.

> "Both teams were the same. I called them mannequins. I've never seen a United team walk around as much as that. No alertness, no aliveness. No 'on your toes'. You should always be on your toes.

> "Always shifting up two or three yards. They were just walking when Fulham were in possession. Fulham had 46 passes in the first couple of minutes to get their first shot.

> "I don't know how many over-10-pass sequences Fulham had in that game, but the international break has come at a great time. There needs to be a rebalance.

> "Very rarely do I say a team doesn't work hard or is lacking in effort. That's the ultimate criticism you can give a group of players.

> "I'm always very careful to say that, but in those first 15 minutes of that second half, Man Utd and generally for the first 60 minutes, were a genuine disgrace. Nowhere near good enough without the ball.

> "Michael is of course saying something different to us than he is saying privately. That would've really worried me. People will ask questions about him, but he knew that when he took the job.

> "But there's no panic in that sense - no one is putting pressure on Carrick - but if those types of performances continue, he will find himself in a lot of trouble. They've got to work harder than that for him."

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