Michael Carrick celebrates Manchester United's win over Fulham
Michael Carrick has been given a stay of execution as Manchester United boss - and he couldn't have asked for a better next opponent.
The 45-year-old is set to be on the touchline at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as his Red Devils side take on Chelsea, live on talkSPORT.
Michael Carrick looks on during Manchester United's loss to Bournemouth6
Carrick has managed to keep his role and will be on the touchline at Stamford Bridge when his side face Chelsea on Saturday
Carrick appeared destined for the sack after the club fell to a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
However, it is understood that the Man United board being split over whether to hire Eddie Howe or Julian Nagelsmann played a part in the decision to keep the 34-cap England international on.
Carrick will be in charge for Chelsea game
The Red Devils are set to embark on a horror run of fixtures over the next three weeks, with a Champions League clash with Roma sandwiched between top-flight games against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
"Michael Carrick staying on may be a surprise to us all," Adrian Durham, talkSPORT's chief football correspondent, told Breakfast.
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"I think if they bring in Eddie Howe, they bring in a Nagelsmann, and they get off to a really shocking start in those tough fixtures, that's not great for the new man.
"So in some ways, I'm deeply cynical about this.
"I think the people making the decisions at Manchester United have thought, well, let Michael Carrick take those bad results and that difficult run of games and then we'll get rid of him.
"I think that's what's gone on, to be honest with you."
But it is not all doom and gloom for Carrick, as many managers have been here before; on the brink, and next up is Chelsea.
Man United manager Michael Carrick6
Carrick appeared to be waving goodbye at Old Trafford on Sunday as fans chanted his name - but he has not been sacked after the loss to Bournemouth
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal, December 2020)
The Premier League manager of the year was under huge pressure on the first anniversary of his first game in charge of the Gunners.
Arsenal spent Christmas in their lowest league position since 1982, and had gone seven consecutive top-flight games without a win.
Ahead of welcoming Chelsea on Boxing Day, 2020, the club had not won a Premier League game since November 1, and were languishing in 15th in the table after a run of five defeats and two draws.
Arteta rolled the dice with six changes and trusted in youth, with then-19-year-old pair Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli starting alongside 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe.
His brave team selection paid off, as Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 to move six points clear of the bottom three - and it was Frank Lampard who was sacked a month later!
(L-R) Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Bernd Leno, Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin celebrate after after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England.6
(L-R) Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Bernd Leno, Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin celebrate after after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England.
Daniel Farke (Leeds, December 2025)
The Whites boss was being geared up for the sack just months after returning Premier League football to Elland Road.
Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers were even named as potential replacements following a run of four straight defeats.
A 3-2 defeat to Manchester City left Leeds in the relegation zone by the end of last November with eight defeats from 13 matches.
Yet at the Etihad, Farke reverted to a 3-5-2 formation at half-time, with his side two goals down, and played with two centre-forwards.
The German persisted with that set-up in Leeds next match, which was deemed pivotal to his future, and it paid dividends as the club downed Chelsea 3-1 to transform their season.
Jaka Bijol of Leeds United scores his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Chelsea at Elland Road on December 03, 20256
Leeds' win over Chelsea proved a turning point in Farke's tenure since the club returned to the Premier League
Erik ten Hag (Man United, December 2023)
Carrick's predecessors have also benefitted from a timely clash with Chelsea - as evidenced by the past two in the Old Trafford hot seat.
Three years ago, Ten Hag was navigating a crisis at Man United, which even saw four journalists banned from his Blues press conference.
A 1-0 loss to Newcastle left the club seventh in the Premier League, while they were also bottom of their Champions League group.
But Man United earned a much-needed win over Chelsea, courtesy of a Scott McTominay double to ease the pressure on Ten Hag.
The Dutchman used the victory as a platform for a second-half surge to FA Cup silverware, which kept him in situ until October 2024.
Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper #01 Robert Sanchez (2R) saves a shot from Manchester United's Scottish midfielder #39 Scott McTominay (unseen) during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on December 6, 20236
Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper #01 Robert Sanchez (2R) saves a shot from Manchester United's Scottish midfielder #39 Scott McTominay (unseen) during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on December 6, 2023
Ruben Amorim (Man United, September 2025)
Even the man from whom Carrick inherited the Old Trafford gig directly used a win against Chelsea to briefly hold onto the job.
Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe flew into the club’s Carrington training ground three days before Amorim's side faced the Blues and stressed to the Portuguese the need for on-field results to improve.
Following a 3-0 Manchester derby defeat the week prior, the Red Devils had won just one of five matches across all competitions.
It followed their worst season in Premier League history in the 2024/25 campaign, as United finished 15th with just 42 points.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, shakes hands with Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on September 20, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)6
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, shakes hands with Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on September 20, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Yet amid growing calls for Amorim to be sacked, the now-AC Milan boss masterminded a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
It proved the catalyst for a run of four Premier League wins in their next five matches, but it proved to be a false dawn as he was given his marching orders at the start of this January.