Michael Carrick | 2025/26 Manager Performances

[PeteManic]

I imagine that the team will just totter on this season and do well to finish in CL places with all the extra matches. The team have potentially how many more matches and haven't actually added any further players to the sqaud, just replaced ones that have left? Going to be a boring year this year I feel. Maybe a cup run?

 

[Ayush_reddevil]

I feel that the way we performed last season under him is actually going to go against him now. Expectations are ridiculous at the moment. We are not a great team and qualifying for the cl again should be the realistic aim for us.

 

[L1nk]

He needs to demand signings or will be seen as a yes man. Sad fact is he's the one will lose his job over the board not backing him.

When you're comfortably outclassed by a way worse squad than yours, signings don't change that. Yes, everybody can see that we need more, but there's also a reality where Carrick is just not good enough and is arguably the biggest risk we could have taken, you can't take every loss as "we need more signings" when the team you already have has individuals comfortably better than the team you are playing. Choosing him is also on INEOS though so they take the blame either way, really.

 

[Ayush_reddevil]

When you're comfortably outclassed by a way worse squad than yours, signings don't change that. Yes, everybody can see that we need more, but there's also a reality where Carrick is just not good enough and is arguably the biggest risk we could have taken, you can't take every loss as "we need more signings" when the team you already have has individuals comfortably better than the team you are playing. Choosing him is also on INEOS though so they take the blame either way, really.

Jeez it was a pre season game. What an absolutely crazy post honestly. Comfortably outclassed means absolutely nothing in a pre season game.

 

[Sweet Square]

On a positive note it's good to get the ignore button warmed up before the season starts.

 

[Maticmaker]

How hard will Carrick take this loss, against a team managed by the man he replaced?

Will he be pleased because of this defeat he has something to work on to fire them up for the Hull game, or will see this as some sort of omen, that will cast a shadow over the seasons opener.

Carrick has always been recognised inside and outside of the club as a 'cool customer,' this will be a good opportunity to put that to the test.

 

[simonhch]

Bodes well for the match day threads this season that we’ve had people calling Carrick a fraud, not good enough, one poster suggesting he could’ve done everything Carrick did last season with ease, a suspect “jobs for the boys” appointment, and a championship reject, after a friendly loss.

It’s already unbearable in terms of the reaction and clinical stupidity on display, it doesn’t bear thinking about how bad it will be when we lose our first competitive game. I swear this place gets worse and worse each season.

At least some of the transfer obsessed cretins will largely dissipate once the window closes.

 

[Rustyspider13]

I think the reaction to this game shows how hard it is to manage/play for United. A loss at a preseason friendly is treated as the sky falling by a good chunk of our fanbase. No wonder why each United draw/loss is portrayed as a crisis by the media, we love the doom and gloom!

Part of it has to do with Amorim I imagine. But I can guarantee neither the players nor the coaching staff gave a shit about "getting revenge" on him. They will be disappointed with the performance of course, but at the end of the day this was a fitness exercise. A 0-0 draw v Hull will be much more concerning than shipping 4 goals to "Amorim's Milan".

 

[NewGlory]

I think the reaction to this game shows how hard it is to manage/play for United. A loss at a preseason friendly is treated as the sky falling by a good chunk of our fanbase. No wonder why each United draw/loss is portrayed as a crisis by the media, we love the doom and gloom!

Part of it has to do with Amorim I imagine. But I can guarantee neither the players nor the coaching staff gave a shit about "getting revenge" on him. They will be disappointed with the performance of course, but at the end of the day this was a fitness exercise. A 0-0 draw v Hull will be much more concerning than shipping 4 goals to "Amorim's Milan".

+1

Doesn't matter how badly managed we are, United is still the biggest club in England and one of the biggest in the world. We may not have won anything big in forever, but that doesn't change what a huge club we are and therefore how much attention we get, therefore the pressure every match has on the manager and the squad. Which is exactly how it should be. They need to be able to deal with it or leave

A great quote on this is actually by Luis Enrique

“We all know that we want a long-term project, but when you’ve worked in football for a pretty long time, you know that you don’t have the luxury of waiting or of thinking, ‘We’ll win a title next season,’ because next season, another team might be better than yours. We need to win now and be aiming for titles from day one.” - Forbes article “What Luis Enrique Knew That Paris Saint-Germain Never Did” by Zak Garner-Purkis (published 29 May 2025).

For world's biggest clubs like Man United, the practical reality is that, despite talk of long-term building, results and titles must be targeted immediately rather than deferred across multiple seasons. That is what media and fan pressure demands. There will NEVER be patience for long-term rebuild with a club of United's stature. Unfortunately, our penny-pinching owners do not want to admit this because if they did, they would need to spend more and be better. They don't want to spend for our success, and they are really mediocre, overall.

Carrick's latest interview suggest that he understand this. But he also understands he is not supported enough to act accordingly, so he is trying to do the best he can being stuck between a rock and a hard place

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

+1

Doesn't matter how badly managed we are, United is still the biggest team in England and one of the biggest in the world. We may not have won anything big in forever, but that doesn't change what a huge club we are and therefore how much attention we get, therefore the pressure every match has on the manager and the squad. Which is exactly how it should be. They need to be able to deal with it or leave

A great quote on this is actually by Luis Enrique



For world's biggest clubs like Man United, the practical reality is that, despite talk of long-term building, results and titles must be targeted immediately rather than deferred across multiple seasons. That is what media and fan pressure demands. There will NEVER be patience for long-term rebuild with a club of United's stature. Unfortunately, our penny-pinching owners do not want to admit this because if they did, they would need to spend more and be better. They don't want to spend for our success, and they are really mediocre, overall.

Does the fan pressure really demand that though?

I think our fans have become very lenient the past decade.

There were staunch defenders of Amorim on here until the very end despite the awful results.

I don't think the fan pressure at this club is that big anymore. It's a myth. Media pressure is different.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I think the reaction to this game shows how hard it is to manage/play for United. A loss at a preseason friendly is treated as the sky falling by a good chunk of our fanbase. No wonder why each United draw/loss is portrayed as a crisis by the media, we love the doom and gloom!

Part of it has to do with Amorim I imagine. But I can guarantee neither the players nor the coaching staff gave a shit about "getting revenge" on him. They will be disappointed with the performance of course, but at the end of the day this was a fitness exercise. A 0-0 draw v Hull will be much more concerning than shipping 4 goals to "Amorim's Milan".

It has nothing to do with Amorim. It has to do with the lack of faith United fans have and the enormous scale of the club. One of the biggest clubs on the planet that absolutely dominated the premier league for over two decades hasn’t won it or challenged for 13 years, and put their trust in a newbie manager and an improved but stingy new leadership. Hard to blame fans for being negative when the club doesn’t do much positive relative to its stature.

 

[NewGlory]

Does the fan pressure really demand that though?

I think our fans have become very lenient the past decade.

There were staunch defenders of Amorim on here until the very end despite the awful results.

I don't think the fan pressure at this club is that big anymore. It's a myth. Media pressure is different.

You are right that there is a weird minority (I don't have data, I think they are loud minority) who defends penny-pinching and has drunk INEOS/Glazer's cool-aid on "long-term rebuild" bullshit, but overall aura of how much attention we get and how much pressure there is on every result shows that at larger scale United is still expected to do great right away

 

[DRJosh]

Rashford’s return and our inability to sell him has effectively meant transfer business will be at a minimum. Carrick’s future as a successful United manager looks increasingly unlikely. And Rashford’s re-integration is the cause of it.

 

[Zumbi]

Rashford’s return and our inability to sell him has effectively meant transfer business will be at a minimum. Carrick’s future as a successful United manager looks increasingly unlikely. And Rashford’s re-integration is the cause of it.

I just don’t buy that. I think there are larger financial considerations at play than the possible transfer fee and wages from one player who’s been loaned out the past few years. Trying the scapegoat Rashford for a lack of spending in one window instead of focusing on the real root causes - years and years of parasitic and incompetent ownership - is failing to see the wood for the trees.

And if we had sold Rashford it was reported we’d have been looking at bringing in a new left winger anyway, so blaming that for a failure to bring in players at CM and LB just doesn’t add up. Ultimately it seems our owners are just too cheap to consistently invest in the squad at the level that is needed.

 

[Sky1981]

Oh well. Let's just see and enjoy the season..come hell or high water he'll be here for the next 8 months at least unless we catastrophically hit super bad losing streak

So. I'll wait and see. Not like we can do much personnel wise this close to start. But it's better to start with caution instead of false confidence

 

[Borys]

You answered your own question. Many players are not upto speed. Cunha, Manino, Tielemans, Bruno and others are not nearly upto speed and likely not wanting to risk injury pre Hull next week.

You answered your own question. Many players are not upto speed. Cunha, Manino, Tielemans, Bruno and others are not nearly upto speed and likely not wanting to risk injury pre Hull next week.

What? I asked how can anyone not be worried about that performance.
"we're just not fit yet" - this apparently calms people down. So after a bad result to Hull I understand that's also OK because we know we're not fit yet?

No not really. I’m not arsed.

Good for you. Let's the how the first game goes vs Hull and how much different it is to start was served against Milan. My feeling is - will not be so different. The team will definitely not be so different.

And in terms of pre-season fitness we definitely weren't full strength. On paper the likes of Tielemans, Bruno and Cunha are amongst our stronger players, but in practice for this game they’ve only recently returned to the club and are behind the others in terms of match fitness. So it’s not really that surprising they looked sluggish compared to others who are further ahead.

As for the lack of athleticism in midfield, I feel the same way I’ve done all summer - we still need to add another CM. Same with Shaw - we needed a new LB back in May and we still need one now. This performance against Milan hasn’t changed these things - we already knew them.

Why are you explaining to be the obvious things like the fact key players are not up to speed yet? Does this make things better or what?
I disagree that it wasn't full strength team. What changes do you expect for Hull game? It's not like we're going to play Zirkzee and Collyer because they look more fit are we? This team (bar maybe RB) will play against Hull.

 

[Escobar]

The squad has still very impactful weaknesses and it is poorly managed so far. Not much he can do but we can all hope we start where we ended

 

[Zumbi]

What? I asked how can anyone not be worried about that performance.
"we're just not fit yet" - this apparently calms people down. So after a bad result to Hull I understand that's also OK because we know we're not fit yet?
Good for you. Let's the how the first game goes vs Hull and how much different it is to start was served against Milan. My feeling is - will not be so different. The team will definitely not be so different.
Why are you explaining to be the obvious things like the fact key players are not up to speed yet? Does this make things better or what?
I disagree that it wasn't full strength team. What changes do you expect for Hull game? It's not like we're going to play Zirkzee and Collyer because they look more fit are we? This team (bar maybe RB) will play against Hull.

No, a bad result against Hull won’t be ok because it’s a competitive game and we’ll drop points.

Our first game being next week doesn’t change the fact that some of our players have only just returned to the squad and aren’t match fit yet. It’s all well and good being nearly full strength in terms of personnel, but we know we’re not yet full strength in terms of match fitness. That’ll come and throwing the toys out the pram in the mean time over a pre-season friendly that didn’t cost points doesnmt make much sense to me. It’s not unreasonable to expect that we’ll be more competitive in a competitive game, when everyone’s a further week ahead in fitness.

Mbeumo will start next week ahead of Cunha I would have thought.

 

[NoPace]

He already has unless you missed his interviews this week already

Also hasn't played Dorgu a minute at LB, which if he had, might have encouraged the money not to sanction an LB purchase.

 

[devilish]

Rashford’s return and our inability to sell him has effectively meant transfer business will be at a minimum. Carrick’s future as a successful United manager looks increasingly unlikely. And Rashford’s re-integration is the cause of it.

The Rashford's situation is far from ideal but a club like Manchester United should be able to tank a 300k a week salary without having to resort to a budget similar to that of a relegation contending squad. If our owners can't afford Manchester united then they should sell. Those 2B recouped wouldn't look too bad for INEOS whose drowning in 18b debt

 

[DRJosh]

I just don’t buy that. I think there are larger financial considerations at play than the possible transfer fee and wages from one player who’s been loaned out the past few years. Trying the scapegoat Rashford for a lack of spending in one window instead of focusing on the real root causes - years and years of parasitic and incompetent ownership - is failing to see the wood for the trees.

And if we had sold Rashford it was reported we’d have been looking at bringing in a new left winger anyway, so blaming that for a failure to bring in players at CM and LB just doesn’t add up. Ultimately it seems our owners are just too cheap to consistently invest in the squad at the level that is needed.

Well if that’s true then our chances of any success in the next decade would be very slim until the Glazers fully sell. I was hoping that we’d get a decent price for Rashford with savings on his wage and then a subsequent direct re-investment into the squad but it was not to be. I can’t see how this squad will achieve a CL spot let alone compete for the league title in the near future. We can’t depend on the slip ups of our rivals to succeed - which is what happened last season to an extent.

Carrick has been thrown under the bus…unless he got this job knowing that would be the case.

 

[DRJosh]

The Rashford's situation is far from ideal but a club like Manchester United should be able to tank a 300k a week salary without having to resort to a budget similar to that of a relegation contending squad. If our owners can't afford Manchester united then they should sell. Those 2B recouped wouldn't look too bad for INEOS whose drowning in 18b debt

I agree, but somehow it seems like we’re operating on a very very tight budget and our reinvestment into the squad (with a marquee signing) seems only possible in conjunction with a player sale. At least that was the narrative that came out initially.

 

[devilish]

I agree, but somehow it seems like we’re operating on a very very tight budget and our reinvestment into the squad (with a marquee signing) seems only possible in conjunction with a player sale. At least that was the narrative that came out initially.

We're operating under very tight budgets because the owners can't afford otherwise. It's the players that are on the pitch that win trophies not the balance sheet. If we're working with an Everton's budget then we'll be performing like Everton.

As said before if the owners can't afford the club then they should sell.

 

[tenpoless]

Hang on a minute so we think he is a complete shit and a fraud now just because we lost in a preseason game, despite finishing third last season taking over a team under disastrous form???

PSG lost against Mallorca 3-0 so I guess Enrique is a shit manager.

 

[Steve 007]

Carrick form wise in competitive football has been the best manager in England and one of the best in Europe. He’s been battered in a pre season game. The battering has happened at the hands of his predecessor. Our fans are getting angry and silly about this. The last manager liked to talk, constantly and worse it was mainly about himself. Let’s get behind Carrick and enjoy the ride. He’s got my support for what he’s achieved so far, let’s hope it continues.

 

[Zumbi]

Well if that’s true then our chances of any success in the next decade would be very slim until the Glazers fully sell. I was hoping that we’d get a decent price for Rashford with savings on his wage and then a subsequent direct re-investment into the squad but it was not to be. I can’t see how this squad will achieve a CL spot let alone compete for the league title in the near future. We can’t depend on the slip ups of our rivals to succeed - which is what happened last season to an extent.

Carrick has been thrown under the bus…unless he got this job knowing that would be the case.

Well yeah, same way they’ve been slim for the previous 13 years under the Glazers. Our new recruitment team seem to be moving to a safer, smarter and more sensible place in terms of targets, but are SJR and and the Glazers willingly to properly fund those targets? Jury is very much out right now.

 

[Slick Bastardly]

Give the man a proper athletic left back and a proper athletic defensive midfielder who can control the game and tempo.

It can't be that hard can it?

You don't have to splash the cash for Hall, surely there's a Truffert of sorts out there?
Hell, call Jose and ask for Alvaro back, or a loan at least.

As for the DMF, we have to show intent, we have to show ambition, especially now we're in the CL and presumably want to stay there.

Just buy Wharton and be done with it.

The man is sticking out like a sore thumb waiting to complete this team, he's the missing piece of the puzzle, it's so bloody obvious.

 

[VictoriaRed]

Loads of overreaction! Any danger of Bruno scoring a penalty?!? Would have changed things, obviously.

 

[Pickle85]

Give the man a proper athletic left back and a proper athletic defensive midfielder who can control the game and tempo.

It can't be that hard can it?

You don't have to splash the cash for Hall, surely there's a Truffert of sorts out there?
Hell, call Jose and ask for Alvaro back, or a loan at least.

As for the DMF, we have to show intent, we have to show ambition, especially now we're in the CL and presumably want to stay there.

Just buy Wharton and be done with it.

The man is sticking out like a sore thumb waiting to complete this team, he's the missing piece of the puzzle, it's so bloody obvious.

Would you describe Wharton as athletic? I wouldn't.

 

[Champ]

Well yeah, same way they’ve been slim for the previous 13 years under the Glazers. Our new recruitment team seem to be moving to a safer, smarter and more sensible place in terms of targets, but are SJR and and the Glazers willingly to properly fund those targets? Jury is very much out right now.

It's not up to the owners to fund the targets, it's up to the club to sort out it's spending first to enable us to afford those targets in the future, which is what's happening.

The overspending of last summer has caught up with us this summer unfortunately.

 

[Marcus]

He needs to internally kick up a fuss to get the players he needs. If he fails the owners will hang him out to dry.

 

[Cee90]

Good luck Michael, you’re going to need it..

 

[Rams]

Amorim ultimately failed because of his dogmatic approach to tactics and his failure to adapt to the strengths & weaknesses of the players available to him. Carrick is far more pragmatic, so far he adapts his tactics to the players he has available. For example, in order to play a fashionable high aggressive pressing game, you need the defense to take up a high line, which doesn’t suit players like Maguire and Martinez. But we also need the leadership qualities of those players and we don’t have an alternative that combines those qualities with the athletic attributes to play higher up. It’ll take some transfer windows to sort out all of these type of unbalances in the squad thanks to a decade of mismanagement.

 

[Black Adder]

I really like his calm approach to everything that comes with United job, and how he firmly stays grounded no matter of the results and so can see him having very good managerial career.

But I have some doubts about him not being firm enough with senior players. Playing Martinez when he was clearly unfit at the expense of Heaven/Yoro, trying to integrate Rashford back when even blind man can see he's neither good enough anymore or really interested in playing for United, still relying on Maguire and Shaw who both shouldn't been nowhere near our first team.

Maybe everything will make sense once season starts, but for now don't see us taking next step or making much needed progress.

 

[Zed is not dead]

I really like his calm approach to everything that comes with United job, and how he firmly stays grounded no matter of the results and so can see him having very good managerial career.

But I have some doubts about him not being firm enough with senior players. Playing Martinez when he was clearly unfit at the expense of Heaven/Yoro, trying to integrate Rashford back when even blind man can see he's neither good enough anymore or really interested in playing for United, still relying on Maguire and Shaw who both shouldn't been nowhere near our first team.

Maybe everything will make sense once season starts, but for now don't see us taking next step or making much needed progress.

This is literally the purpose of pre season games, getting the whole squad up to match fitness

 

[Black Adder]

This is literally the purpose of pre season games, getting the whole squad up to match fitness

Not talking about presason or yesterday match which served as platform for gaining fitness, but there was a moment last season when Martinez was out and Heaven played really good only to be replaced with Martinez who was clearly unfit.

 

[DJ_21]

Carrick might want to tweak his tactics for the season. We’re getting rinsed down that left side. We’re so open. High line only ever works with fast CBs. Maguire and Martinez are not fast.

 

[DJ_21]

Loads of overreaction! Any danger of Bruno scoring a penalty?!? Would have changed things, obviously.

We’d still have got beat 4-3. They could have scored a lot more… we had no left side. Was tons of space to run down

 

[DJ_21]

Carrick form wise in competitive football has been the best manager in England and one of the best in Europe. He’s been battered in a pre season game. The battering has happened at the hands of his predecessor. Our fans are getting angry and silly about this. The last manager liked to talk, constantly and worse it was mainly about himself. Let’s get behind Carrick and enjoy the ride. He’s got my support for what he’s achieved so far, let’s hope it continues.

Ye but now that he’s in his second season and having a pre season… his tactics might change a little. Looked like he wants us to play a bit more dominant football but he has to get the defence structure right. Pacy attackers will love playing us next season if they have all that space down the wings.

 

[Jeffthered]

I like Carrick and he has earned his two-year contract with taking us to third last season and giving fans a sense of pride and a structure to the playing side of the club, both v v important.

But he does seem a little meek, and I think hr may need need to develop a bit of an edge to him.. you need this as Manchester United manager.

I also worry about the dynamic between Carrick-Berrada-Wilcox, which I fail to see any real benefit. Manchester United FC do not need Jason Wilcox at all, (Wilcox is a grifter, a frustrated player who hasn't the guts or character to be a manager, coach a team and take the spotlight.. I cannot stand him and I think he is holding the club back. Carrick should tell him to go and do one...Klopp would, Enrique would, Pep would, Mourinho would. And this is my concern with Carrick, he doesn't have that sense of command, authority in my opinion.

But.. aside from Arsenal, I think we muddle along and compete for top six. But I just have concerns, we cannot rely on Bruno...again.