Manchester United are standing by head coach Michael Carrick despite mounting pressure following a difficult start to the 2026/27 Premier League season, with reports emerging on Monday that the club's hierarchy has no immediate plans to dismiss him. The situation has dominated football discussion in England during the international break, with financial details, dressing-room sentiment and injury concerns all feeding into the debate over Carrick's future at Old Trafford.
Why is Carrick under pressure?
Under Carrick so far this season, Man Utd have been hugely disappointing, sitting as low as 12th in the Premier League table with just five points from five matches. United did ease past Sabah 4-0 at Old Trafford in the Champions League, but the Red Devils went down 3-2 to Brighton and Hove Albion at home in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Their 5-2 win over Ipswich Town at the end of August was the only league victory in their first five matches, a run that began with a defeat to promoted Hull City and reached the international break on the back of a last-gasp draw away at Fulham. A home defeat in the Manchester derby added further scrutiny on the manager during the opening weeks of the campaign.
What would it cost to sack him?
It has been revealed that it would cost Man Utd's hierarchy around £8.8m to sack Carrick. That figure follows on from the compensation United already paid out after parting ways with predecessor Ruben Amorim, with the club confirming it cost the club in the region of £8.2 million to sack Amorim and his backroom staff, who was dismissed in January after a 14-month spell in charge.
According to reporting on the club's current thinking, Man Utd currently intend to stick with Carrick, partly because they cannot afford to pay him off, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke. O'Rourke explained the broader context behind that caution, noting that United have chopped and changed managers so many times that they have had to start from scratch, and argued the club needs to stay calm and give Carrick as much time as possible to try to put things right.
Do the players still back him?
Perhaps the most closely watched update came from transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, who addressed whether the dressing room has turned on Carrick. Romano said Man Utd maintain their confidence partly because the club believes the players are with the coach, adding that compared to other situations United have had in the recent past where some players were not so happy with the coach, they believe the large majority of the players are absolutely backing and supporting the ideas of Michael Carrick.
That squad support is seen as significant given United's history of dressing-room unrest under previous managers. Overall, Manchester United maintain their confidence in Carrick, with the club believing the players are also with the coach and there being no similarities with past situations where that might not have always been the case, while the players absolutely support Carrick's ideas.
Context: how has Carrick performed so far?
Supporters weighing up the mood around Old Trafford should note Carrick's underlying record before this campaign. Carrick steered United to third in last season's final Premier League standings, taking more points (39) from his 17 games in charge than champions Arsenal (36) over the same period. That success persuaded the club to hand him the job permanently over the summer.
There is also some statistical nuance behind the poor points return this season. United have scored eight goals in five Premier League games so far this season, with only four teams more productive, output comparable with Arsenal, who have also scored eight times. The gap in the table largely comes down to defensive issues rather than a lack of attacking threat, which offers some reassurance to those backing Carrick to turn results around.
What happens next?
United's next assignment offers a clear opportunity to ease the pressure. United sit 12th in the league table during the first international break of the season, but a couple of positive results when the club schedule resumes could make a big difference in a short space of time, with a trip to face last-place Tottenham Hotspur on October 10 up next.
The schedule does not ease up after that. Three weeks separate United's last and next matches because of the extended international window, but between this break and the next in mid-November, United are due to play eight times in 30 days across the Premier League and Champions League, including midweek away trips to Spain and Italy. Alongside the managerial debate, United have also been managing fresh injury concerns involving key players during the international break, adding further uncertainty to Carrick's immediate planning as domestic action resumes.