For many supporters, the Manchester United cycle appears to be back in full swing. An uptick in form under Michael Carrick renewed hope that the club could finally be moving in the right direction toward the end of the 2025-26 campaign, but it has been followed by a difficult start to the new season and pressure is mounting on the head coach.
It was a similar story for José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. United have sacked managers midway through each of their past two seasons -- Ten Hag in October 2024 and Amorim in January 2026. Carrick -- who signed only a two-year contract in May -- has won just two of their first seven games in all competitions.
Carrick won 12 of 17 games last season after being appointed caretaker boss in January, recording impressive wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. But just like the achievements of Mourinho and Solskjaer, it has been quickly forgotten. The defeat to newly promoted Hull City on the opening weekend put Carrick on the back foot immediately.
After five Premier League games, United rank 20th of 20 teams for distance at high intensity, time at high intensity, number of sprints and amount of time sprinting. Carrick insists his team have been on the wrong side of fine margins, and if his theory is correct, a run of good results might not be that far away.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing