Michael Carrick: INEOS perform U-turn days after Newcastle debacle

Manchester United’s 1-2 defeat at home to Newcastle last week intensified scrutiny on caretaker head coach Michael Carrick, but INEOS and the club’s football leadership have performed a swift reversal, informing internal stakeholders that Carrick remains firmly in contention to be appointed permanent manager.

The loss, which followed a string of underwhelming performances, had fuelled speculation that United’s co-owners were already sounding out alternatives, with Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi among the names floated. Yet director of football Jason Wilcox has championed Carrick’s cause, arguing that the former midfielder has “done a fantastic job” since stepping in for Ruben Amorim.

Wilcox, who is leading the managerial review alongside CEO Omar Berrada and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell, has told players, staff and Carrick himself that no decision will be rushed. Sources emphasise that the next appointment will be made only after a comprehensive market assessment, ensuring the club avoid the hasty call that characterised the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure.

While Carrick has collected six wins and one draw from eight matches, the hierarchy are determined to keep the process opaque. Senior figures have instructed staff to refrain from any public acknowledgement that the 43-year-old is the front-runner, despite the strong start.

The stakes rise again on Sunday when United travel to Aston Villa; both clubs are locked in a battle for third place and the final automatic Champions League berth. Carrick’s side know victory at Villa Park would both strengthen their top-four grip and further buttress his case for the permanent role.

INEOS’s willingness to slow the process signals a broader structural rebuild. Wilcox, Berrada and Vivell are simultaneously designing the long-term football department that will surround whichever coach is eventually unveiled, ensuring the next appointment fits a data-driven, strategically aligned model rather than a short-term fix.

For now, Carrick retains the dressing-room backing and, crucially, the belief of key decision-makers that the Newcastle setback is a bump, not a derailment, on the road to a potential permanent home in the Old Trafford dugout.