Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Michael Carrick is under pressure after Man Utd’s elimination from the Carabao Cup, but Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox can’t be bulletproof.
The clouds of uncertainty have gathered above Man Utd much quicker than anyone expected this season after a strong finish to the last season.
The latest nadir came at Old Trafford as an ashen-faced Michael Carrick looked like he’d seen a ghost as Brighton dumped him out of the cup.
Does Carrick deserve scrutiny? Certainly. But can Man Utd fans really trust the duo again that has gone 0/3 on key decisions at this club so far to get the next one right?
0/1 – Keeping Erik ten Hag based on one game
Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada’s first mistake arrived almost as soon as they took over at the club, as Erik ten Hag’s future was in doubt. The league campaign was going nowhere, the tactical issues were clear, and Ten Hag wasn’t even Ineos’ hire.
Ten Hag was thought to be a dead man walking, but somehow, the owners who showed themselves off as having a long-term vision were swayed by one game – the FA Cup final – and kept Ten Hag in the job.
Nothing improved the season after, and he had to be sacked within 3 months of the season starting. A manager who would have gone for free took compensation, and the next one had to arrive mid-season instead of having a clean slate.
0/2 – Ruben Amorim mid-season hiring and late firing
The snowball effect of extending and then firing Ten Hag was felt by Ruben Amorim, who stepped into a mess mid-season with an entirely new style of play.
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Needless to say, it didn’t work, but the board insisted it was good that he had those months at the job. They would prepare him for the next season, they said.
The 2024/25 season became a write-off, but the baggage of those losses was so huge that United didn’t even recover in 2025/26.
Instead of cutting their losses on Amorim and accepting that they made a mistake, it took Amorim calling them out directly to sack him, showing that the results were clearly not a priority for them. You just needed to keep their incompetence hidden, and you’ll have a job for life.
0/3 – Swept up in Michael Carrick euphoria
Carrick’s interim reign was so good that he made it almost impossible not to give him the permanent job, but that’s why Berrada and Wilcox are paid the millions.
If they are going to be swept up in the euphoria of interim results like us fans, then what difference is there between us and them?
If there was a long-term plan, then Carrick’s 17 games shouldn’t have been enough to change it, because that shows there wasn’t a plan in the first place.
Worse still, they didn’t even back Carrick properly after giving him the job. Do they have caution over how good he is as a manager, so they didn’t want to spend too much under him?
If that’s the case, why even give him the job and risk this season starting this way? It’s all a mess. Three managerial decisions under Wilcox and Berrada, and they’ve managed to get each one wrong.
It feels harsh to say this, but things weren’t objectively this bad even under the Glazers’ decision-making. The Glazers knew they were clueless, but Ineos are the same, while thinking they are the smartest people in the room. That’s a much more dangerous trait.