Who Is to Blame for Manchester United’s Failures? Carrick or Jason Wilcox?
Five months ago, everyone sang the praises of Michael Carrick, hailing him as the savior of Manchester United’s season. He came in as a knight in shining armor to redeem the club from Amorim’s terrible tenure and securing Champions League football.
Today, he is at the top of the list of Premier League managers to be sacked this season. That is how quickly things have changed at Old Trafford.
United have won just two games this season, against Sabah and Ipswich Town and have gone seven matches without a victory. They are 13th in the Premier League, are out of the Carabao Cup, and were humiliated 4-1 by Como in the UCL on Wednesday night. That came only a week after a 2-0 defeat away to Atletico Madrid.
So who is really responsible for this collapse? Is it the man in the dugout, or the man who built the squad? Let’s break it down.
How Carrick Went From Hero to Under Pressure
To understand how big this fall is, we have to go back to where Carrick started. He took over in January 2026 as interim manager. United were 7th in the table at the time.
What followed was remarkable. Carrick won 11 of his 16 games in charge, took United to third place and secured UCL football. No Premier League club got more points than United during that period. Despite joining mid-season, Carrick was in the six-man shortlist for Manager of the Season.
Even though the higher ups gave him an interim contract and were looking to get a more qualified manager, Carrick proved to everyone he could handle the job and got himself the permanent contract in May running until 2028.
Expectations came with it. In the summer, Carrick told beIN Sports that he wanted United to fight for every trophy in his first full season.
Instead, United have produced their worst start to a season in roughly 40 years, according to FootballTransfers.
The Case Against Michael Carrick
Carrick has failed to be tactical. Against Como, United sat deep and chose not to press man-to-man. Como scored inside two minutes and there was no recovery for the Englishmen.
Bruno Fernandes who has been criticized in some quarters had some criticism for his gaffer as well. After the game, he questioned Carrick’s approach. Speaking to TNT Sports via Reuters, he said the call not to press man-to-man came from the coaching staff, and when asked if the tactics were wrong, he replied that it was “on the manager and staff to see, not me.”
The Portuguese and Player of the Season for 2025/26 after his record breaking 21 assists season has not lived up to expectation and maybe being deployed in right wing and as false 9 rather than the AM/CAM position he held up last season could be contributing.
But Carrick didn’t let that slide. He hit back in his press conference. Football365 reported that he disputed Fernandes’ account and said that no system works if players don’t run forward and back. He was also seen in a heated touchline exchange with Matheus Cunha during the game, according to Football365.
When the manager is questioned by the captain, having an altercation with Cunha mid-game, it is a clear indication the manager isn’t in control of the dressing room and that’s a situation that inadvertently leads to a collapse on the field of play as was evident vs Como last Wednesday.
There are also reports of concerns inside the club about his training methods. The Hard Tackle reported that senior figures doubt whether Carrick can take the team to the next level technically and tactically.
The Case Against Jason Wilcox
Not all the blame can be on Carrick. He must feel let down by Jason Wilcox and the hierarchy at Manchester United. Even defender Lisandro Martinez let out his thoughts about the undoings of the directorate and how they failed to bring in the right squad for the manager.
Jason Wilcox has been Manchester United’s director of football since June 2025. Building the squad is his job, so his summer work deserves a close look.
United did good business in the summer window as the books suggested. They got Karl Darlow on a free transfer, Youri Tielemans for £35m, Andrey Santos for £50m and Carlos Baleba for £70m. That is three central midfielders and a backup keeper.
Meanwhile, the two obvious problems were left alone:
Left-back: Luke Shaw was the only senior left-back after Tyrell Malacia left. He got injured and it has forced Ayden Heaven and Nous Mazaouri to deputize for him which hasn’t gone well.
Striker: Benjamin Sesko was not fit for most of last season going into preseason and even the first 4 weeks of the new season. Yet, there was no proper replacement for him.
At the time, it felt like the club was doing good business. But in retrospect, not signing a LB was a huge mistake.
So Who Is Really to Blame?
The honest answer is both, but not equally.
Wilcox gave Carrick an unbalanced squad. He spent more than £150m on adding midfielders to a team with options already while abandoning positions with zero options.
But Carrick has made it worse. Even Como players were surprised at the amount of possession they had. There is no way a squad with Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo, Baleba and Tielemans should be outplayed by a club in its first ever Champions League campaign.
Who Will Pay the Price?
Of course, the manager.
Wilcox has the backing of the club’s hierarchy but Carrick does not have the same protection.
Many expected a club statement citing the sack of Carrick after the Como game but the club announced, howbeit later than usual, that Carrick would be in charge when United hosts Bournemouth at Old Trafford this Sunday.
If United lose again, Carrick could pay the price despite the problems at the club originating from the top.
