Michael Carrick’s position at Manchester United is not under immediate threat, and the reason has little to do with the Premier League table.

The decisive factor, according to Fabrizio Romano, is a dressing room that has not fractured. On 5 October, Romano reported that INEOS was backing the head coach because the squad was unified behind him.

“Manchester United is sending signals of confidence when it comes to Michael Carrick for one reason above all: the club feels it, believes the players are 100% behind the manager, there’s no fracture or break,” Romano said.

That verdict has not shifted. In an update published on Tuesday, Romano said the hierarchy was still giving its head coach room.

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“Manchester United are still giving time and confidence to Michael Carrick. That’s the message coming from the club. Inside Manchester United they feel that the players are still with Michael Carrick,” Romano said.

Patience is being tested. United sit 13th in the Premier League with six points from six matches, and let a lead slip in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday, when Dominic Solanke equalised Bryan Mbeumo’s second-half goal in stoppage time.

A different mood from the Ten Hag and Amorim endings

Carrick’s circumstances contrast with the final weeks of Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. In those cases, dressing-room unrest ran in parallel with the results, hastening the decision to move on. Reporting in late September, Romano told Football365 that the mood inside this squad was different.

“The large majority of the players are absolutely backing and supporting the ideas of Michael Carrick,” Romano said then.

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Carrick was promoted from interim to permanent head coach in May 2026, after taking charge as caretaker in January. The club’s reasoning, Romano has said, is that three new midfield signings including Carlos Baleba need time to settle.

A two-week test, starting at the Metropolitano

The runway is short. Sky Sports’ Paul Merson said Carrick is “in trouble over the next two games”. United travel to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, before heading to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Sunday. Kick-off at Leeds is at 2pm local time.

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