Michael Carrick has the same problem Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faced at Man Utd

Michael Carrick is having a similar issue to what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer experienced as Manchester United manager in 2019.

Manchester United took a more cautious approach with Michael Carrick than they did with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, allowing him to complete the season before making him permanent. Yet Carrick is already under pressure to keep his job, 11 games into the 2026/27 campaign.

After a damaging night in the Champions League, with United losing 4-1 to Como, Carrick was apologetic to the 700 fans who travelled to Italy for the game. This comes after a dire start to the season, and now big questions are being asked about the head coach’s future.

Carrick was undermined after the match by his captain when Bruno Fernandes questioned the tactics. Furthermore, the board were shocked by the standard of performance on the night. There is no denying that this is a slump.

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United enjoyed a habit of winning football matches when Carrick was interim head coach. It led to a third-place finish in the Premier League, Champions League qualification, and Carrick landing his dream job on a permanent basis.

However, after an abysmal start to the campaign, Carrick is under serious scrutiny at Old Trafford. There are no signs of things getting better, even with Bournemouth up next on Sunday.

Questions need to be asked about why there are such serious doubts about Carrick being the right man for the job so soon after he was given the job on a full-time basis. Ineos didn’t rush their decision and waited until the summer, as they promised after sacking Ruben Amorim in January.

Solskjaer won 14 of his first 19 matches as caretaker manager, persuading United to appoint him permanently in March 2019. His early success included a memorable Champions League comeback win against PSG, making that decision understandable at the time. It was also a response to pressure from ex-players, the media and the fans.

However, results deteriorated, and United finished sixth that season. Solskjaer experienced a slump in his initial run as permanent manager.

The Norwegian won 73.68% of his matches as United’s caretaker manager. That dropped to 29.41% after his first 17 games as permanent manager.

In comparison, Carrick’s win percentage dropped to 18.18% after becoming permanent head coach in the summer. Solskjaer overcame that slump, but Carrick is hanging on.

When managers are falling into the same traps as previous coaches, the board must ask why the club keeps making the same mistakes. There has been an unhelpful cycle of managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. It started with David Moyes, and Carrick could be next to go.

Even if Carrick is sacked and results pick up for a few weeks, the same owners and board members will be in place. Nothing really changes, and the club will continue the managerial cycle.

Does the club have a coherent footballing strategy, with recruitment, player development, and tactical identity aligned with the manager? It has never felt that way since Ineos took control of football operations in 2024.

Carrick is the scapegoat at United at the moment. That may suit a few board members.