Michael Carrick will be in the dugout at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. After two days of silence from Manchester United, BBC Sport sources confirmed on Tuesday that the 45-year-old will be given the chance to turn things around, and Sky Sports reported the same. Carrick took training on Tuesday morning with the club still hunting a first win in eight matches in all competitions.
Two days that left everyone guessing
Sunday's 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth left United one place above the relegation zone and Carrick's position in real doubt. Director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada were both pictured arriving at the training ground on Monday, while Carrick left at about 17:00 GMT. Nobody said anything publicly, and that vacuum did the rest.
The BBC understands the hierarchy did explore replacing him. Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann were the names under consideration, and Aston Villa's Unai Emery is admired too, although he is under contract, which would complicate any approach. Howe, 48, has been out of work since leaving Newcastle, who would be owed a multi-million pound compensation package. Nagelsmann, 39, resigned as Germany boss after the World Cup quarter-final exit and knows about the interest.
A vote of confidence, or a stay of execution?
Sky Sports called the decision a shock that has divided supporters and pundits, and their own panel could not agree on it. Rob Dorsett said it feels like a stay of execution, as if United have not yet sorted out a replacement rather than backed Carrick. Alan Smith also leaned towards stay of execution and pointed out that the silence from the top has been deafening. Kaveh Solhekol took the opposite side: it is the right call, he argued, because a manager needs time and the message to the dressing room is that Carrick is the boss.
The record is the problem. Carrick took interim charge in January after Ruben Amorim left, then got the job permanently in May after United finished third and qualified for the Champions League. Since then the season has gone sideways. United have won one of their eight Premier League matches, and Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the board for a lack of investment after the 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid.
The Bruno Fernandes question
The captain is the live issue in the squad. After the 4-1 Champions League loss to Como, Bruno Fernandes aimed criticism at Carrick's tactics, and on Sunday he was left on the bench and never came on. Sky's analysts see a trap either way. Dorsett said Carrick will probably welcome him back if the two have patched things up behind the scenes, but if he starts at Chelsea the head coach risks looking weak, and if he leaves him out and United lose, he will be blamed for dropping his best player.
The mood around the ground was just as mixed. Supporters chanted Carrick's name after the final whistle, then booed the players once he had gone down the tunnel. "It wasn't a farewell from me," Carrick said on Sky Sports afterwards, adding that he had mixed emotions and that results and performances had not been good enough.
What Saturday at Chelsea can and cannot fix
There is a neat bit of history here. Last season's win at Stamford Bridge was one of the results that helped persuade the club to make Carrick permanent. A repeat would buy him time, but Dorsett was blunt that even a win may only delay the inevitable, and BBC chief football news reporter Simon Stone wrote that the unanswered questions, including whether Wilcox himself is safe, will not go away on the back of one result. Sky's Smith said the first 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge will show how much the players want to play for their manager. A heavy defeat and the same conversation starts again on the next morning.
Match facts / Context: Chelsea v Manchester United, Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Saturday. United are winless in eight in all competitions and have won one of eight league games. Carrick, 45, signed a two-year deal last May. Sources: BBC Sport, Sky Sports.
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