Michael Carrick will be in the dugout when Manchester United host Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday night — but the clock is now public. United are winless in nine matches, sit 17th in the Premier League, and have, according to reports, already made contact with Eddie Howe about what comes next.
Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea stretched the run without a victory to nine games in all competitions. United were the better side for long spells of the first half at Stamford Bridge but took none of their chances, and the match slipped away after Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead and Lisandro Martinez was sent off for a second booking, conceding the penalty that Cole Palmer converted.
The numbers offer Carrick no shelter. United have won only two of their first 13 games this season, have taken seven points from nine league matches, and sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone — their worst start to a season since 1988, on the reporting around the club this weekend.
Two games, then the break decides
Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel in comments reported by Football365, said United's general intention is to trust Carrick for the Roma game and Sunday's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa at Old Trafford, with the international break then used to assess the managerial position properly.
"Michael Carrick is expected to be in charge against Roma," Romano said. "At the moment, the feeling at Man Utd is that Michael Carrick has very good chances of surviving this crisis." The caveat matters just as much: unless something crazy happens — in Romano's words, unless United keep failing to win — the decision is parked until the break, when owners, directors and executives can weigh every option.
That patience is not the whole story, though. The Guardian, via a report carried on Monday, said sporting director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada met at Carrington last Monday to discuss Carrick's future and came close to ending his tenure then — a meeting that echoes the Carrington sacking talks Beyond The Final Whistle reported last week. The same reporting says contact has now been established with Howe, described as Wilcox's preferred candidate, that Howe is open to the job, and that compensation of around £3 million has been mentioned. Julian Nagelsmann is reported as another name approached through recruitment director Christopher Vivell. United have announced no change, and none of the succession reporting has been confirmed by the club — it is reported interest, not a done deal.
Roma are the worst possible visitors
If Carrick needed a kind fixture to buy breathing space, the calendar has not obliged. Sports Mole's preview puts United 21st in the Champions League league phase and Roma 15th, and Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrive in form: five matches unbeaten, four of them wins, with three or more goals scored in four of those five games, including Saturday's 5-2 hammering of Udinese.
Donyell Malen, with eight Serie A goals and three more in this competition, is Roma's leading threat, even with Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Manu Kone and Mile Svilar among those sidelined. United's own list is no kinder: Patrick Dorgu, Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko — reported to have suffered another setback with a shin problem — are out, with Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo to be assessed.
Carrick himself kept it to one word when TNT Sports asked whether he expected to face Roma — "Yeah" — and added that he was simply looking forward to getting his players ready for midweek. It is the right public line. It is also, now, a line with an expiry date attached.
So what does this mean?
Two home games in five days will decide whether the break is a reset or a changing of the guard. Beat Roma and Villa, and Romano's "very good chances" line starts to look like a plan rather than a stay of execution. Lose either — especially badly — and the reported Howe contact stops being contingency planning and becomes the story. The deeper problem follows whoever is in the dugout: a squad 17th in the league, short of goals, short of fit forwards and short of confidence does not become a Champions League side because the name on the manager's office changes.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Carrick has not been backed — he has been given a deadline with fixtures attached. Trust that lasts exactly two matches is not trust, it is a countdown, and everyone at Old Trafford, including the man reportedly waiting in the wings, can hear it ticking. Roma on Tuesday is not just a Champions League game. It is the first half of Carrick's job interview, played in public.
Should United stick with Carrick through the break, or is nine games without a win already enough? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
