February 6, 2026 and Michael Carrick has been in charge of Manchester United for two weeks, with three wins from three games against Manchester City at home, Arsenal away and Fulham at home. The following day, United will play a Tottenham Hotspur side who, despite their own troubles, are eight unbeaten against Manchester United.
Carrick gathered his players at the Carrington training ground and gave an impassioned speech about the importance of the Munich air disaster for the history of the club.
On the anniversary of the disaster, he educated players who knew little about it, told them they were standing on the shoulders of the giants who had died. It made a big impact. United defeated Spurs for the first time in nine attempts the following day 2-0.
Carrick, who’d spent the previous months in the stands as a fan and watching games using his season ticket, turned things around quickly. The players found him to be an excellent communicator and, given the team were winning matches they were not expected to win, believed in him. Carrick praised them in public and private. He was calm and consistent; he protected his players and held an umbrella over them.
United were on par for a Europa League spot finish under his predecessor Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese had picked things up after a rough first six months, but two public outbursts against his bosses saw him lose his job following a January draw at Leeds United.
The team were 6th when he left and 7th when Carrick took charge a week later. He was told by director of football Jason Wilcox that the aim was a top-five finish and Champions League football.
It was a bold aim given United had not been in the top five all season, but Carrick got his side performing in an instant, winning six and drawing one of his first seven games. He gave them simple instructions and switched to a 4-2-3-1 system, using a mid/low block and attacking on transitions which was much more comfortable for the players.
United finished the season in third and Carrick’s points per game total was better than champions Arsenal. Rivals Manchester City, Liverpool, Villa were all beaten at Old Trafford, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton and Brighton were all beaten away. United’s tactics utilising Casemiro’s excellence and experience worked well, with captain Bruno Fernandes particularly productive.
The mood at the club picked up and he was awarded the job on a permanent basis, with a two-year contract. Asked if he felt reaching the Champions League was possible, he told the United We Stand fanzine: “I genuinely didn’t look that far ahead. Coming in, you should always have the hope and belief to know something can be achieved but I didn’t set any targets when I came in. It all happened quickly.
“It was a situation of getting on with it given the city and Arsenal games coming in the first week. We were going a little bit into the unknown as well. Champions League football, if I’m honest, did seem in the distance at that time, coming from kind of where we were coming from.”
So how had he changed things so quickly, beyond abandoning Amorim’s 3-5-2 system? “It was more a real focus on the feeling of playing here and what it should feel like,” he said. “The enjoyment, the embrace of the challenge and what an unbelievable opportunity we’ve got playing here.
“You can forget that sometimes when you’ve gone through different spells. It was something that I’ve always kind of felt proud of when I've been here in the past.
“I just came in talking about that, what the club means, what the club means to me, what the club means to a lot of people and for the boys to feel positive about that, because it can get on top of you at certain points. It got on top of me at different times, so I was just trying to put those experiences across to the lads”.
Whatever the method, it worked. Not having European football helped in preparation and he was fortunate with injuries. He also successfully reintegrated midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and got more out of striker Benjamin Sesko.
Carrick was an interim and United spoke to two different coaches in the summer about the manager’s position before giving the job full time to Carrick, since the club felt he deserved it.
He was not yet considered an elite coach, but an improving one who was an ex-player who had galvanised the team and fans who had brought stability. He had strong connections with the academy; he had worked well with players like Mainoo too. United gave it a shot.
After a steady pre-season when United forewent the riches of a US or Asian tour to help Carrick, the 2026-27 started dreadfully with a defeat at promoted Hull City.
Hull beat Man United – in pictures
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Nobel Mendy celebrates scoring Hull City's second goal in their 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester United on August 22, 2026. Reuters -
Nobel Mendy heads home Hull’s second goal in the 38th minute at MKM Stadium. Getty Images -
Man United attacker Bryan Mbeumo goes for the spectacular but sees his shot deflected for corner. EPA -
Dejected Manchester United players after Hull's opening goal. Getty Images -
Semi Ajayi celebrates after scoring his Hull’s opening goal. Getty Images -
Semi Ajayi, right, celebrates scoring for Hull City. Reuters -
Man United manager Michael Carrick saw his team produce a disappointing opening game of season. Getty Images -
Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens saves Hull's Oli McBurnie. AFP -
Hull striker Oliver McBurnie heads for goal. Getty Images -
Semi Ajayi thumps Hull into a 17th-minute lead. AFP
Results remained poor, though the one Premier League win so far came against another promoted side in Ipswich Town on August 30. After Everton away the following week, when United twice led but twice conceded equalisers, the second a wonder strike from Ainsley Maitland-Niles after 96 minutes, Carrick tore into his players in the dressing room afterwards.
One person who saw it said it was the strongest reaction he had seen from Carrick. In the media after the game, he was calm, scoffing at one suggestion that United had suffered a poor start to the season. He never publicly criticised his players.
Fernandes was badly affected by the results. He had wanted a longer new contract than United were prepared to give and that remains ongoing. The captain struggling affected other players. His energy for the fight seemed diminished, his stats too.
The Portuguese expected to be part of a winning team with top players, except United did not get their top targets in the summer as the market ran away from their attempts to sign Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and full-back Lewis Hall, where Newcastle United were adamant that they were not selling because they had let go three key players in Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimares and Sandro Tonali.
United thought they had Mateus Fernandes all tied up for £65 million and everything was verbally agreed, then Spurs started outbidding and were prepared to go for £100m. United did not feel Brighton's Carlos Baleba. Signing Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans meant three new midfielders with three different profiles. Judgements are still being made.
Less seriously considered was Morgan Rogers who was hugely admired, but United were not prepared to spend what was looking like most of the budget on one player. Had that budget been bigger the club would have potentially signed Antoine Semenyo last January, but again there was not the money for it. Sitting und
Finances in the summer were further complicated by Manuel Ugarte’s injury picked up playing for Uruguay in the World Cup. United were unable to sell the midfielder to raise funds.
Marcus Rashford had hoped to stay at Barcelona where he did well in a one-year loan period. Barca did not activate a clause to buy him meaning, United this missed out on £30m and had to pay one of their top earners again, a player who many thought had run his race at Old Trafford.
There were no other offers made to United for Rashford, not even for a loan. It left United hoping that Rashford, rejuvenated after Barcelona, could be effective.
Joshua Zirkzee was another player who United would have sold, but it was not easy moving him on. That hampered efforts to bring a back up striker in.
Arsenal’s Miles Lewis Skelly was for sale at one point and United had talks with Arsenal, then he did very well in the Community Shield and manager Mikkel Arteta changed his mind. United were told that the fee would now be over £80m.
Barcelona full-back Alejandro Balde was considered, but United, with some justified doubts, wanted the Catalan on loan and Barcelona wanted a full sale for £50m.
Manchester City’s Algerian international Rayan Ait Nouri was of interest for a loan, but City would only do a full sale and United did not want to be rushed into a deal. RB Leipzig and German international full-back David Raum was also considered. He has one year left on his contract but again there were doubts. United wanted financial discipline, yet the squad needed players, a need which became exacerbated by injuries.
United were determined not to overpay, but the club don’t set the market any more in 2026 any more than they did when Sir Alex Ferguson managed. A strategy which had worked in 2025 with the recruitment of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo, Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko was not working in 2026.
City, perhaps fearing punishments, spent £400m on new players. Tottenham Hotspur, with a cash injection of £300m were big spenders and gave the keys to the club to Roberto de Zerbi, who had been offered the United job before Ruben Amorim took it in 2024.
Five players went for more than £100m in the Premier League, unprecedented and a perfect storm for United. The market ran away from United’s plans and number one targets. Other players were available and discussed but Carrick felt he had better in the dressing room.
The three leaders in the dressing room are Fernandes, former captain Harry Maguire and defender Lisandro Martinez. The three have very different personalities. Maguire is friendly, Fernandes emotional but in a positive way, Martinez is highly driven, tough and bites at his teammates. That can be positive, though he sometimes oversteps the mark.
Martinez, who had been making little headway in talks for a new contract, spoke out against those above him following a defeat at Atletico Madrid when the team played well … after conceding yet another early goal. He struck a chord with frustrated fans, but the Argentine’s form was poor. He wanted a new contract, United felt that he had to be playing more for him to earn one.
To compound matters, United starting picking up injuries. Sesko, the only true centre-forward, will likely be out until the new year. In the other vulnerable position, left-back Luke Shaw, who played all 38 league games last season, has played a third of the matches this. Patrick Dorgu can play on the left and did in the Manchester derby, but he too was injured.
By this November international break, United sit 18th in the table in a relegation position, with just one win in 10 league games. Every manager knows that’s not good enough.
Carrick’s magic touch, plus his calmness which keeps pressure off, wasn’t working the same. He and his staff was struggling to lead a squad through a bad cycle. A set-piece coach was suggested by the club, but didn’t happen. There were also concerns about fitness levels.
After a horrendous week where United were hammered in Como and lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox spoke with Carrick and Fernandes. Concerns were aired. It was agreed by all that the players wanted a chance to bring a reaction in the games before the international break.
There was, of sorts – a positive first half at Chelsea, but United still lost 2-0. A dramatic comeback win against Roma followed, but the Italians led 2-0 after 17 minutes. The lack of structure in the team was causing alarm amid everyone around the club. That was evident in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.
On Monday, Carrick was informed, via his agent, that there would be a scheduled Ineos CEO’s meeting in Monaco where the manager’s situation would be discussed with the owners and that they were leaning towards making a change. The recommendation was to make a change and alternatives were offered. Unai Emery had decided to sign a new contract at Aston Villa.
Mauricio Pochettino’s people had been in touch and United were interested. The US federation were contacted and asked if there was a release clause. The conversation went well.
Carrick, who felt left frustrated in limbo, was finally told of his dismissal by Berrada and Wilcox in a meeting that started at 0830am on Thursday morning at Carrington.
They had wanted to do it face-to-face, not that the decision eased the situation for Carrick. He felt that everyone knew bar him and understandably, he was not happy. The 45-year-old always acted with class throughout his time at United, protecting others around him. United acknowledge this. It was an unpleasant situation, but nobody at United has a bad word to say about him.
Carrick’s coaches Jonathan Woodgate, Steve Holland, Jonny Evans, Craig Mawson and Travis Binnion have all lost their jobs. Binnion, highly rated for his work with younger players, was the only one at the club as a coach before Carrick.
So United move to Pochettino, who has interviewed for the job several times before. The Argentine’s managerial stock rose with spells at Espanyol, where he’s a legend as a player, Southampton and Spurs, whom he took to the 2019 Champions League final.
PSG and Chelsea were next and tougher gigs, though he felt he learnt a lot from managing high-profile superstars such as Nemyar, Messi, Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.
Old Trafford officials feel they are now getting a leader of men who has coached at the highest level, with the charisma, appetite and gravitas to manage a giant like Manchester United.
Another factor was that he brings a tactical understanding and plays a type of high intensity, aggressive football that the fans will appreciate if it happens.
United also think that he will be demanding on fitness and that they are catching him at the tight time of his career, a mature version with restored energy levels and a wealth of experience at the highest level. They were the principal reasons why United went for Pochettino.
United’s problems run deeper than any one man, but it’s the manager who usually pays the price. Pochettino will become the latest manager when he takes charge of his first game at Anfield next Sunday in the never-ending soap opera of Manchester United football club.
