Butt and Carrick are close friends and former England teammates. In an interview with MailOnline, Butt said Carrick had no plan to return to the dugout after Middlesbrough sacked him in June 2025, right up until Old Trafford called.
“I was with Michael before he got the Man United job, and I was speaking to him about management, and he went: ‘Not for me, it’s too much, my head’s all over the shop. I’ll only do it for the big job, and that’s Man United.’”
The quote lands at the worst possible moment. United sit 13th in the Premier League with just one win and six points from six matches, the club’s worst league start since 1986-87 under Ron Atkinson.
From interim rescuer to 40-year low
Carrick arrived at Old Trafford in January 2026 as the caretaker drafted in after Ruben Amorim’s departure, and the short-term brief turned into something bigger. Twelve wins from his final 17 games and a third-place finish earned him a permanent two-year contract and Champions League football.
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Six months on, the mood has flipped. Carrick is now the second favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season, behind only Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa, according to Oddschecker. United have yet to win an away match, were beaten by both Manchester City and 10-man Tottenham, and were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Brighton.
Conte in talks over the role
Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web reports that former Chelsea and Napoli manager Antonio Conte, 57, is in talks to replace Carrick after leaving Napoli at the end of last season. Journalist Enzo Bucchioni said Conte “is reaching an agreement with Manchester United.”
Speaking to The Athletic, Conte said he would weigh a Premier League return “if it’s worth it.”
“In England today they’re using bazookas, while everywhere else they’re still using a pistol.”
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United’s public line remains calmer. Ex-chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Carrick “still has plenty of credit in the bank for what he did last season,” and that there are no plans in place to sack him.
Butt’s warning: out before January
Butt is not convinced his old friend will get the time. Speaking last month, the former United midfielder said Carrick might not even reach the winter transfer window.
“It could be that Michael could not even get to the next transfer window, and he could be going, ‘well I’ve lost my job and you’re not giving me the tools to go and do my job with the back four.’”
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