Man Utd sent strong message on Carrick sack as ‘sloppy’ stars are brutally told what ‘needs to change’
Manchester United have been warned that sacking Michael Carrick is not the answer to their issues, with a former star exclusively telling TEAMtalk why their expensively assembled squad needs to pull their fingers out, and with INEOS sent a warning about how they’re in danger of being left behind as one of the footballing elites.
After a promising spell as interim boss, all the optimism that Carrick brought with him into Old Trafford looks to be rapidly evaporating, after what has been a grim start to the season at Old Trafford.
With just one win in five Premier League games so far to their name, the pressure has been stacked on Carrick following a dismal home defeat to 10-man Manchester City and a tepid display at Fulham that saw the visitors, just about, salvage a draw.
In light of all that, Carrick is now among the favourites to become the next Premier League manager to lose his job, with the 44-year-old currently second favourite behind Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto De Zerbi.
As fate would have it, the two men go head to head this weekend, and the pressure will truly be cranked up on whichever manager finishes second best after Saturday evening’s clash at Old Trafford.
Should United fail to win though, former United star Lee Sharpe has exclusively told TEAMtalk why axing Carrick is simply not an option.
“It is far too early to sack him. You would just be starting again with another manager who wants different players. I don’t see the point in doing that now,” Carrick, speaking via Betwright, told us.
“The board have to take some responsibility. Tielemans was a good price, and Baleba looks a decent acquisition, but I think Carrick, the supporters and everyone around the club would have expected another one, two or possibly three signings.
“That said, the players have started slowly and sloppily, and that needs to change. They have to play at a higher tempo and move the ball faster.”
Our transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey was told by sources last month that Carrick is not in any danger of the axe and the board remains behind him.
And while Sharpe also backs that synopsis, he is warning the next couple of months are crucial to his future…
INEOS told Man Utd could get left behind over transfer frugality
Going deeper into Carrick’s future and the club’s underperformers, Sharpe added: “I would not sack Carrick now, but the period between this break and Christmas is huge.
“They have missed [Benjamin] Sesko as a focal point. Bruno [Fernandes] and [Matheus] Cunha alternating in the false-nine role has not worked particularly well. They need somebody to occupy the centre-backs and finish the chances.”
Despite that warning, Sharpe feels United’s co-owners INEOS may need to abandon their frugal approach when it comes to transfers and throw caution to the wind to bring the biggest and best stars to Old Trafford.
And in a warning that they could get left behind over their failure to splash out over £100m on any single player, Sharpe continued: “It’s a worry (the refusal to break their transfer record with the club the only side in the ‘big six’ yet to spend over £100m on one single player).
“It is ridiculous that players cost £100 million anyway, but if that is the going rate for top-quality players these days… United have to be prepared to compete.
“They are already behind. They have not won the league or consistently challenged in Europe for years. They could get really left behind – and that’s not Carrick’s fault.
“They need players who lift the team, raise standards in training and bring a different mentality into the dressing room. That is what happened when Roy Keane and Eric Cantona came in: they raised the bar in training and in matches.
“It is not just about the price tag, though. It is about bringing in the quality and personality to improve everyone around them.
“If United do not keep pace with the biggest clubs, there is a real danger of falling further behind.”
