November 12, 2026
The reasons for the ouster of coach Michael Carrick were not limited only to the decline in field results for Manchester United, but press reports revealed an integrated structural crisis that struck the team, which included severe tensions within the dressing room, criticism of the technical work style, as well as administrative conflicts behind the scenes.
In a report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail” and reported by the “Gol” website, sources close to the team indicated that Carrick faced his fate in isolation from any real support, at a time when the club’s management was delaying deciding on his future and making secret contacts with Mauricio Pochettino to succeed him.
The roots of the crisis go back to mid-January, when Carrick took over the leadership temporarily, before he received a two-year contract in May after leading the team to third place and qualifying for the Champions League. However, this successful beginning gradually turned into a stormy crisis that toppled him before completing ten months.
Air quarrel and internal divisions
The state of tension reached its peak during the plane return from Madrid, following the loss to Atletico Madrid by two clean goals, when a verbal altercation and quarrel broke out between a number of players, in a scene that embodied the extent of the division and anger dominating the locker room.
Pressure has accumulated on Carrick as a result of a series of disappointing results that began with a loss against Hull City in August, through to a stumble against Brighton and exclusion from the League Cup, in addition to European defeats against Atletico Madrid and Como, and conceding fatal goals in the last minutes against Everton and Tottenham. The exciting draw (4-4) against Aston Villa also raised concerns among the management, especially after the team conceded 15 goals in the last four matches.
A technical crisis and disagreements over the management of elements
On the technical level, some players directed sharp criticism at the level of training sessions under the leadership of Carrick and his staff, considering that relying on plans that depend on excessive possession is not compatible with the group’s capabilities. In parallel, questions were raised about the marginalization of academy players despite Carrick’s declared slogans, as Harry Abmas missed sufficient opportunities, and the return of Shea Lacey was delayed, while the departure of Jay Jay Gabriel sparked internal dissatisfaction.
Administrative chaos and failure in the Mercato
The report stressed that placing the blame entirely on Carrick is an incomplete reading of reality, in light of the state of administrative chaos afflicting the club. Behind the scenes, there was a heated struggle between Director of Football Jason Wilcox and Director of Contracts Christopher Fifell over the identity of the replacement, coinciding with the growing dissatisfaction of the Glazer family with the management mechanisms of Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
At the level of summer contracts, the club failed to meet Carrick’s demands to include its main target as midfielder Elliot Anderson, and contented itself with contracting with Youri Tielemans and Andre Santos, so negative results, player divisions, and administrative conflicts intertwined, and the curtain came down on Carrick’s experience by removing him from his position.
