Brighton react to Man Utd interest in Hurzeler as Neville fears Carrick is done
Gary Neville has voiced concerns around Michael Carrick and his position as manager of Manchester United, while Brighton have reacted to the Red Devils’ interest in Fabian Hurzeler.
Man Utd are paying the price for appointing a manager on the back of a pressure-free caretaker spell. The club’s aim to appoint the ‘best in class’ was tossed aside when giving Carrick the job outright, and it’s a decision that has already come back to bite.
Man Utd were dumped out of the League Cup at the earliest opportunity, have won just one of seven Premier League games, and haven’t kept a clean sheet against English opposition this term.
TEAMtalk understands Man Utd’s hierarchy are not ready to press the panic button and sack Carrick. However, that’s not to say pressure isn’t mounting.
And according to club legend, Gary Neville, United’s results over the coming weeks simply must improve or Champions League qualification will, in his mind, already be beyond them.
“Fifth is a must for Michael Carrick to continue to grow and Manchester United continue to grow with investment.
“If they’re 13th in January, he’s got a problem because then you are what you are. Whereas I think it’s still early enough, seven points from seven games, to say, ‘okay, still early in the season’. You can’t say that after 15 games.
“It has to change in the next few weeks: Bournemouth is really important and Chelsea away. And how he manages the games in between that.
“You’ve got to say fifth. You know that anything less than fifth is going to be a disappointment and a dropping standard from the start of the season where everybody expected them to finish.
“And at the moment, they’re well short of that because you look at Brighton, Liverpool, Aston Villa – they look like they’re picking up a little bit. It’s difficult.”
United’s next five league games read as follows – Bournemouth, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Brentford. The Red Devils will only enter the Bournemouth match as favourites.
In the event poor results continue and Carrick is sacked, the likes of Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Fabian Hurzeler are on the club’s radar.
Hurzeler has overseen a spectacular start to the new season at Brighton, with his side comfortably the league’s top scorers on 23 goals. Furthermore, the Seagulls boast the joint-meanest defence too, with just five goals conceded.
Our insider, Graeme Bailey, previously brought news of Hurzeler having a key backer at Old Trafford, with Jason Wilcox (director of football) a ‘confirmed admirer’.
Brighton react to Man Utd interest in Fabian Hurzeler
But per the latest from Football Insider, Brighton do not fear losing Hurzeler to Man Utd.
Their reporter, Pete O’Rourke, explained: ‘Brighton are “relaxed” about the long-term future of manager Fabian Hurzeler amid an impressive start to the season.
‘The German has been heavily linked with the Manchester United job in recent weeks, but the Seagulls have had “no contact” from any other club at this stage.
‘Hurzeler’s stock has risen dramatically in recent months, but Brighton have him tied down under contract until the summer of 2029.
‘Sources say that the South Coast outfit are not worried about the prospect of the 33-year-old leaving any time soon, although they are “not surprised” by the interest.’
