📅 November 10, 2026
Why Haven’t United Sacked Carrick Yet? And Should Wilcox and Berrada Go Too?
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Michael Carrick took training on Tuesday still not knowing whether he’s Manchester United’s head coach for much longer. Two days after the 4-4 with Aston Villa, and a day after reports said the club intend to replace him, no decision has been announced. The reason is a meeting that hasn’t happened yet.
That raises a question we can’t stop asking. If the people recommending Carrick’s sacking are the same people who built this squad and gave him the job, why is it only the coach whose job is on the line?
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Why Carrick is still in the job
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are due to meet Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco this week, with AFP and The Telegraph both saying Wednesday. According to The Telegraph’s James Ducker, it’s a summit for Ineos’s senior staff that Ratcliffe normally holds twice a year, and it’s where the decision on Carrick is expected to be made official.
AFP reports that Berrada and Wilcox are leaning towards dismissing him but that “no final call has been made.” The Athletic reported on Monday night that any decision needs the approval of Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, and AFP says the Glazers would likely accept a recommendation to sack him. So the process is: Berrada and Wilcox recommend, the owners sign it off, and only then does Carrick hear.
There’s also an argument for not rushing. United don’t play again until Liverpool away on Sunday 22 November, so a decision on Wednesday still gives a new coach well over a week of training. The Telegraph’s report says he’s still expected to go.
What the reporting says about Wilcox and Berrada
On the record, The Telegraph reports that Wilcox and Berrada “are expected to retain Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s backing despite fierce scrutiny of their positions,” and that a change to their roles is unlikely as things stand. Football365 says there’s no suggestion either is in danger. Nobody credible has reported that they’re about to be fired.
The pressure is real, though. Supporters have aimed abuse at Wilcox, Ratcliffe and the Glazers at Old Trafford this season, according to The Telegraph. Lisandro Martinez criticised Wilcox and the board over recruitment and accountability last month and apologised after being fined. And Richard Keys put it bluntly on X on Tuesday: “If United sack Carrick Wilcox & Berrada must go as well.” Then: “This is on them.”
The case that it should be them too
This is our speculation, not a report. But look at what Wilcox and Berrada are accountable for. The Telegraph notes Ruben Amorim clashed with Wilcox at the start of the year and was gone days later. Carrick was then appointed on their watch, first as interim, then on a permanent deal. They built the squad that’s 18th with one league win from ten. If Carrick is the wrong man now, they’re the ones who put him there, twice.
A Monaco meeting that starts as a review of the head coach could just as easily become a review of the people who hired him. If the owners are being asked to sign off another coaching change in the same year, it’s fair for them to ask who’s been making the calls.
There’s a practical problem with that idea. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, cited by Football365, reports that Wilcox is expected to present the succession plan himself, with Mauricio Pochettino and Eddie Howe at the top. If the owners want those two to pick the next coach, they aren’t going anywhere this week.
Our view
The most likely outcome on Wednesday is still the one the reporting points to: Carrick goes, and Wilcox and Berrada stay to appoint his replacement. But if United are about to sack a head coach who came from 4-2 down in stoppage time on Sunday, the people who built this squad should be answering the same questions he is. We’ll update with a new post when the club confirm anything.
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Sources: AFP via Yahoo Sports (10 Nov) for training, the Monaco meeting, “no final call” and the Glazers. The Telegraph (James Ducker) via Yahoo Sports and The Peoples Person for Ratcliffe’s backing, the summit, the fans, Martinez and Amorim. Football365 for Richard Keys, “no suggestion” of danger and TEAMtalk’s succession report. The Athletic via TEAMtalk and SPORTbible for the approval process (see our report on Monday). The table from ESPN. The speculation and our view are our own.