Manchester United have won their two matches under head coach Michael Carrick, lifting them above Liverpool and into fourth place in the Premier League standings.
Jamie Carragher in front of a TV camera.
Jamie Carragher has warned Liverpool, pointing to Man Utd's upturn.(Image: Getty Images)
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Manchester United's upturn in form has prompted footballer-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher to fire out a warning to his beloved Liverpool, insisting they should sack Arne Slot if he fails to deliver a top‑five finish. He also warned that the club risk repeating United's mistakes, with the Old Trafford side absent from the Champions League since the 2023/2024 season.
Liverpool's impressive 13-match unbeaten run was abruptly halted by a thrilling 3-2 loss to AFC Bournemouth on the south coast. This defeat, coupled with United's victory against Arsenal, and Chelsea's win over Crystal Palace, saw Liverpool slip to sixth place in the top-flight standings.
Carragher claimed it is unacceptable for the reigning Premier League champions to be outside of the Champions League positions this term. Speaking to The Athletic, Carragher said: "It's difficult if you go from champions to not making the Champions League.
"You've got to believe that your manager is taking you somewhere. What you never want to do - and Manchester United have made this mistake a couple of times - is when you're thinking; 'I think we should change it, but I'm not 100 per cent' and then get to October and you think; 'We should have done it'.
"I hate even talking about it, because I adore the manager. He won us the league, the football was amazing, but there is a lot of criticism out there from Liverpool's supporters. If he gets into the Champions League and we see signs of progression, has a good run in the FA Cup or Champions League, I'd say; 'No, this is a collective thing'.
"The players aren't playing how they were, and the also manager hasn't had his best season, the people above him have got to take a lot of responsibility. But if you finish sixth, that's a major drop-off. It would be difficult to make an argument for (that)."
United opted to retain Erik ten Hag following an eighth-place finish - largely due to his FA Cup success. However, just months into the 2024/2025 season, he was eventually dismissed and succeeded by Ruben Amorim.
Questions also surrounded Amorim after he could only guide United to 15th position, but the club stuck with him, too, before eventually parting ways at the start of 2026.
Darren Fletcher stepped in as caretaker, overseeing two matches - a 2-2 Premier League draw with Burnley and a 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion before Michael Carrick took over as interim head coach.
Michael Carrick looks on.
United are unbeaten under Michael Carrick.(Image: Getty Images)
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United have recorded two emphatic wins in recent weeks, in the Manchester derby and against league leaders Arsenal, under their former midfielder.
For Slot, he cautioned that external criticism will only intensify if his side continues to drop points.
Liverpool's head coach said: "I think it's going to be really difficult to quieten the outside noise with the position we are in in the league. Even if we win a few games, every loss or every disappointing result will start the noise coming back again.
"That's what you expect if you started the season as we did, not started but at a certain moment with so many losses. But it's impossible to shut down the noise at a club like this if you are not competing for the league."