"How dreadful!": Carrick did not expect what happened after the Old Trafford disaster!
What's the story?
Manchester United boss Michael Carrick is fighting for his job after a chastening 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday, the latest low in a dismal start to the season that has heaped criticism on the players and the club's sporting hierarchy.
The Bournemouth loss cranked up the pressure still further. United have won just one of their first eight Premier League matches, slipping to 16th and sitting 14 points off the top.
Carrick, 45, took temporary charge last January after Ruben Amorim's exit, then landed the job permanently in May. A string of impressive results had carried United into the Champions League and to a third-place finish.
The side has been unable to kick on since. Their last league win came back on 30 August, a 5-2 victory over newly promoted Ipswich Town, and the slide that followed has left the manager facing a brutal examination of whether he can turn things around.
An unclear future
Carrick made no attempt to sugar-coat it after the Bournemouth defeat. He admitted his coaching staff's future hangs in the balance, comments that laid bare the pressure bearing down on him at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the United manager said: "It's a difficult situation, there's no denying that," adding: "I don't really know what's going to happen or what the next step is."
He went on: "I will always give my very best for this club, and that won't change now. I love my job and I feel responsible. We just have to wait and see what happens."
An escalating crisis
Results are only half the problem. Carrick's relationship with some of his players has frayed too, and he made a striking call against Bournemouth by leaving captain Bruno Fernandes on the bench. The Portugal midfielder had publicly questioned his manager's tactics.
Fernandes aimed his criticism at Carrick's approach during United's 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como last Wednesday. His words ramped up the tension inside a dressing room already riddled with instability.
Defender Lisandro Martinez added to the noise. He apologised for controversial comments attacking the United hierarchy, in which he called for more investment in the squad and demanded greater backing from technical director Jason Wilcox.
All of this has sharpened the questions over whether the club's sporting management can actually fix the mess, with results nosediving and rows brewing over tactical decisions and the money needed to strengthen the squad.
The fans support Carrick and attack the players
Carrick, though, remains hugely popular on the terraces. He made 464 appearances across 12 years as a United player, a record that earned him lasting respect among the supporters.
After the final whistle against Bournemouth, the fans chanted Carrick's name as he walked the pitch to salute them. It looked like a show of support for the manager, even as much of the crowd's fury landed squarely on the players and the board.
Responding to the chants, Carrick said: "That wasn't a goodbye from my side," explaining that he felt a mix of emotions given the grim circumstances engulfing the club.
He added: "I have mixed feelings. I feel for what my players are going through, they are going through an extremely difficult period. There are things we can help with, and others where situations develop in a way that is out of control, which is what the players are feeling at the moment."
He continued: "I have conflicting feelings towards the fans' reaction. Having such a connection with them stirs mixed emotions within me, and I will need some time to take it all in, but I certainly appreciate their support."
He signed off: "This is our current reality. We haven't achieved the desired results, and our performances haven't been at the required level."
The warmth didn't last. The chants curdled into boos the moment Carrick left the pitch, and the players walked straight into a wall of anger, proof of a widening gulf between the supporters and a side they no longer rate.
Neville: the management may anger the fans
Gary Neville read the Carrick chants as a sign the supporters sense the end is near. The former United defender argued that fans know their manager and see him as one of their own, a sharp contrast to how they view the board and the players.
Neville told Sky Sports: "Manchester United fans are chanting Michael Carrick's name because they probably realise what's going to happen here. They've seen situations like this before. He's one of them and he's very popular."
He added: "But the owners, the sporting management and the players are not popular, and they have let this club down massively."
Chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox may be forced into a difficult decision over Carrick's future, Neville suggested, even if it risks enraging the fanbase.
He said: "It's likely the pair will make a decision tomorrow that will upset Manchester United fans, but it may be a necessary decision," before branding the situation at the club "utterly chaotic".
Sharp criticism of the players
Clinton Morrison saw the post-match scenes as a neat summary of the whole mess: fans rallying behind the manager while turning on the players.
Morrison said: "This situation sums everything up. The fans are in Carrick's corner, but they are not supporting the players. My goodness! It was very worrying."
The former Premier League winner noted that Carrick drew huge encouragement from the stands while the players copped boos the instant they were left alone on the pitch. Their display, he argued, fell well short and fully justified the backlash.
He continued: "At the end of the day, there are limits to what the manager can do. In my opinion, the players are not at a good enough level to win matches."
Ashley Young weighed in too. The former United full-back put the support for Carrick down to his legendary status at the club, but insisted the players offered nothing against Bournemouth.
Young said: "Unfortunately, for Michael Carrick, it's hugely disappointing. The fans are behind him and supporting him, and that's natural given he's one of the club's legends. But the players on the pitch offered nothing. They didn't run, and they didn't look like a cohesive team."
He finished by highlighting the gulf between the two teams, saying Bournemouth were far superior and United's showing was poor and deeply disappointing.
