'He'd be mad!' - Gary Lineker warns Cesc Fabregas against taking 'graveyard' Man Utd job as Michael Carrick pressure mounts after Como humiliation
Gary Lineker has delivered a stinging assessment of the current state of Manchester United, warning Cesc Fabregas that moving to Old Trafford would be a career mistake. The former Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea maestro is seeing his stock rise rapidly after guiding Como to a dominant victory over the Michael Carrick's side in the Champions League.
Carrick under fire after heavy Champions League defeat
Manchester United manager Carrick finds his position under intense scrutiny following a dismal 4-1 Champions League loss to Como on Wednesday. The heavy European defeat has amplified questions surrounding his long-term future at Old Trafford, with the club hierarchy reportedly exploring potential alternatives should they decide to make a managerial change.
Leading the charge for the Italian outfit is rookie head coach Fabregas. The Spaniard has impressed greatly since stepping into management, transforming his side into a formidable unit capable of dismantling established European heavyweights. Naturally, his early success has firmly placed him in the conversation to succeed Carrick in Manchester.
'He'd be mad to take that job'
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker cautioned Fabregas about the perils of swapping his promising project in Italy for the Old Trafford dugout. The former England striker believes managing the Red Devils is currently a toxic prospect for any emerging coach.
"He’s going to have a big decision at some point because if he continues to have even moderate success with Como a big club will come in for him," Lineker stated. "It might be United. If he takes that job, he’d be mad! It’s a graveyard really."
"I know it’s a huge football club, but it’s not an attractive job at the minute, because of how many [managers] have been in there and how many have been sacked," Shearer added. He also quipped about the lucrative severance packages often handed out by the club, noting: "The only thing attractive about it is he might get a great pay-off in 12 or 18 months’ time."
Fabregas takes blame for late United consolation
Despite securing a famous victory over the Premier League giants, Fabregas remained highly critical of his own in-game management. United managed to snatch a late goal after falling 4-0 behind, a lapse in concentration that the former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder took full responsibility for.
"I regret the last ten minutes because I was the one who told the team to slow down the tempo because there's another match and at 4-0 we could manage things a little," Fabregas admitted after the final whistle. "I told the players to stop running and stay in the middle and that is something I regret because I'm the first to always push them to fight until the end.
"Their goal hurt me because we dropped our intensity and dropped our defensive block, but it was my fault.”
Pivotal fixtures await under-fire Carrick
Carrick now faces a critical juncture to salvage his tenure in Manchester. Following such a comprehensive humbling on the European stage, the United boss must orchestrate an immediate response to alleviate the growing unrest. Failure to reverse this slump quickly could accelerate a managerial transition at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Fabregas will look to maintain Como's impressive momentum. Having intentionally instructed his players to conserve energy in the closing stages against United, his squad will be fresh as they navigate their upcoming schedule, further cementing their manager's reputation as one of Europe's brightest young coaches.
