Michael Owen issues verdict on Man Utd sacking Michael Carrick as manager doesn’t ‘trust’ £74m star
Michael Owen has offered his thoughts on whether Manchester United should sack Michael Carrick ahead of a “bloody difficult” run of matches.
Carrick is under immense pressure at Man Utd after a poor start to the 2026/27 campaign, with the Red Devils only picking up six points from their first six Premier League games.
At the weekend, Man Utd failed to beat 10-man Tottenham, so Carrick remains under scrutiny heading into a tough run of matches.
This week, Man Utd have away matches against Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, and Carrick could be on the brink of the sack if these matches go poorly.
“I think he absolutely should be given time…”
Despite this, Owen has explained why Man Utd should stick with Carrick, and he needs to be “given time”.
“I was looking at the next set of fixtures for Manchester United and they’re bloody difficult. A lot of away games,” Owen told GOAL.
READ: 16 Conclusions from Manchester United 1-1 Spurs: Carrick sack, De Zerbi, Fernandes no-show, Savio
“The next away game in the Premier League is Leeds, and Leeds are playing really well. Obviously we all know about their rivalry. That’s going to be some atmosphere. They’ll smell blood. There’s an opportunity there to win at Elland Road.
“I’m a big Carrick fan. I thought he should have been given the job. I understand that there’s pressure surrounding the job. Absolutely. But how well he did last season, I think he absolutely should be given time.
“And if you look at it, they were massively unlucky against Everton. They scored with one of the goals of the season, the last kick of the game. They were robbed out of points by VAR in the Manchester derby. They’ve been really unlucky, in my opinion, to not have a few extra points.
“The performance wasn’t great against Spurs, granted, but I do like the team. I think it’s a lot better team now than it has been in the last few years. And I think that they’ve got the potential to have a decent enough season.
“There’s people trying to put pressure, but I do think he deserves a fair bit more time for what he’s done so far.”
READ MORE: Eddie Howe reaches verdict on joining Man Utd as INEOS in ‘formal’ process to replace Michael Carrick
Carrick is clearly not getting the best out of his squad, including £74m striker Benjamin Sesko.
And ex-United striker Dwight Yorke does not think Carrick “trusts” Sesko.
“Manchester United has always been talented in terms of the attacking areas and we always tend to win games from the front,” Yorke told talkSPORT.
“Yes, defenders do play their role and there have been some terrific defenders in the past.
“When you look at those players up top, for me the big question mark there with Carrick, I don’t understand why Sesko doesn’t play.
“I know he’s injured now but you’ve got to play the guy as a nine. You have to trust the kid, he’s got all the attributes.
“Yes, he’s come off the bench and scored but you have to push him up top and let the others feed off him.”
