The cycle of doom that has engulfed every Manchester United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson now has Michael Carrick in its grip. Carrick repeated a familiar scene, raising his hands in apology to supporters after United were humiliated 4-1 at Como in the Champions League, the same scoreline that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job after a defeat at Watford in November 2021. Carrick is the seventh full-time manager since Ferguson stepped down in 2013 after winning 38 trophies in 26 years in charge. Despite spells of success under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag, the outcome is always the same: dismissal. Results are poor and there is unrest in the dressing room, with defender Lisandro Martinez criticising director of football Jason Wilcox after the defeat at Atletico Madrid, and captain Bruno Fernandes questioning tactics in Como.
The question is whether managers alone should bear the blame. United's leaders, from former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to the Glazer family and part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have tried every approach to recreate the Ferguson era and failed. David Moyes found the job too big for him, while Van Gaal and Mourinho arrived with stellar track records. Solskjaer was a sentimental choice after a successful interim spell, Ten Hag came from a strong Ajax side, and Ruben Amorim was regarded as one of Europe's hottest young coaches. All were sacked. Their trophies, including the FA Cup in 2016 and 2024, look slim beside past glories.
United did not become dysfunctional overnight. The club has been heading this way since the succession plan to Ferguson was botched. In December 2019, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were all managing within 35 miles of each other in the north-west, yet none were at United. Carrick, a former fan favourite, has a managerial record that includes a sacking at Middlesbrough, and he appears to be following the same path as Solskjaer.
Unless the club addresses its deeper problems, the cycle is likely to continue, and each new manager will face the same unforgiving scrutiny.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing