Six points from six games, 12th place, boos ringing round Old Trafford at the final whistle. That is where Manchester United’s season stands after Dominic Solanke’s stoppage-time header rescued a 1-1 draw for a Tottenham side that spent the closing stages with ten men.
The owners’ answer, delivered the same evening, is that none of it is enough to end Michael Carrick’s time as manager. INEOS are not planning to sack him, according to Football365, with sources describing him as under no immediate danger. TEAMtalk reports the club’s internal view is that the manager’s position remains secure for now.
Carrick will therefore take charge of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid.
A number not seen at Old Trafford since 1986
Six points is the lowest return United have taken from their opening six league games since the 1986-87 season, when they picked up four points before Ron Atkinson was sacked and replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Bryan Mbeumo had looked to have given Carrick’s side the win against Tottenham, breaking the deadlock in the 73rd minute. Rodrigo Bentancur was then sent off five minutes later for shoving Luke Shaw, in an incident that triggered a touchline flare-up between the two benches. United could not see the ten-man advantage out, and Solanke headed in from Sandro Tonali’s delivery deep in stoppage time.
‘It hurts a lot’, Carrick says of the boos
Carrick spoke after the match about the reaction from the stands.
“It hurts a lot. It is not nice to go through but sometimes you have to go through it,” he told reporters, as quoted by the Irish News.
“When things aren’t quite going to plan, I understand the reaction at times.”
He did not try to spin the table.
“I am not happy with the amount of points, there is no hiding from that,” he said.
Backing from above, pressure from the schedule
Director of football Jason Wilcox has been described as an advocate for stability, and The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell has reported there are no indications United are drawing up contingencies for the head-coach job.
That backing does not come without conditions. GiveMeSport notes that pressure on Carrick could intensify depending on results against Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, with further October meetings against Como, Bournemouth and Chelsea to follow.
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Atletico host United on Tuesday night.
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