Manchester United latest as Michael Carrick's future as manager in serious doubt after Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth
'Talks on Carrick's future continue as Fernandes, Berrada & Wilcox arrive at training ground', reports Simon Stone
Man Utd have suffered a torrid few weeks, with heavy defeats and players criticising the club and tactics in the media
Many fans directed a lot of their frustrations at the players and those running the club, rather than at Carrick
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I hope Carrick resigns. He looks drained. Fighting for a club that isn't willing to fight for him. He has been let down in the summer. What he was given was like giving a chef a welly instead of a knife and asking him to prepare a meal.
Steven, Matlock
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
Image source, Getty ImagesJamie Carragher believed that Michael Carrick should have been relieved of his duties on Sunday night, after his Manchester United side fell to a 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth.
The former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports: "Manchester United need to make that [managerial] change tonight, they need to make that decision. The fans have taken the side of Michael Carrick and it's not about him being the manager, it's about him being a huge figure in United's history.
"Those players have done nothing compared to teams of the past, so Michael Carrick is always going to win that fight with Bruno Fernandes, and rightly so, no matter how talented a player he is.
"But also, Manchester United as a football club, one of the biggest in the world, are 16th in the Premier League right now and that can't continue.
"Michael Carrick needs to be relieved of his duties tonight - not just for the good of Manchester United, but also for the good of Michael Carrick.
"It's not nice watching him walking around the stadium at the end, he's really hurting and what's happening right now is not good for United and not good for Carrick."
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Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
The season started badly for Manchester United, with the tone set by a humiliating 2-0 loss at Premier League new boys Hull City on the opening weekend.
They went behind in their next match, at home to another promoted side Ipswich Town, but fought back to register a 5-2 victory.
United have since gone on a winless run of six league matches, including a 1-0 derby defeat at home to a Manchester City side that played almost 70 minutes with 10 men.
Michael Carrick's side have also dropped points from winning positions against Everton, Fulham, Tottenham and Leeds.
And a dismal 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday could well prove to be his final game as United manager. But does Carrick deserve to pay the price?
United's results in the Premier League this season:
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
Image source, Getty ImagesMichael Carrick signed a two-year contract at Old Trafford in the summer after initially being appointed as interim head coach in January, following the sacking of previous Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
He oversaw a dramatic improvement in results, eventually leading United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, guaranteeing a return to Champions League football this season.
But his position has been undermined by a series of poor results this season and public outbursts from key players - centre-back Lisandro Martinez and captain Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes was dropped on Sunday after criticising Carrick's tactics in Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League defeat at debutants Como.
But that did not spark United into life, quite the opposite, as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth and dropped to 16th place in the Premier League, with just one win and seven points from their opening eight games.
United are also out of the League Cup and are down in 21st place in the Champions League, following that hammering in midweek.
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
Carrick 'saddened' by Man Utd situation after Bournemouth loss
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Old Trafford
Image source, Getty ImagesThere was an air of inevitability about Michael Carrick's walk around Old Trafford after the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.
It is not unusual for Carrick to applaud the Manchester United fans. If anything, his acknowledgements were not as pronounced as they were in Como after the equally devastating loss.
But after eight games without a win, the worst run since 2015-16 and two horrific defeats in a week, the end is approaching for Carrick, with his bosses in serious talks about his future.
However, if anyone in a senior position at the club thinks the issues at Old Trafford will be solved simply by changing the head coach and, more importantly, the fans will be appeased by a new face in the dugout, the reaction from the stands on an awful day on and off the pitch would have very clearly told them otherwise.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesMan Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesThe pressure on Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was upped a further notch by another insipid performance as they slumped to a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.
The Cherries were superb throughout and thoroughly deserving of their victory, which extended United's winless run to eight games.
The visitors, who were 2-0 up by half-time, took the lead when a superb Justin Kluivert free-kick found an unmarked Rayan at the back post and he beat Senne Lammens with a well-taken volley.
United's woes were compounded two minutes before the break when an untimely Leny Yoro slip allowed Adrien Truffert to square for Marcus Tavernier to convert into the empty net.
Boos greeted the half-time whistle, though some home fans did their best to encourage their players as they trudged down the tunnel.
After further chances at the start of the second half, Evanilson eventually knocked in the third after more comedy defending from United. The Brazilian striker raced on to a long clearance and nipped the ball past Lammens, who had come charging out of his penalty area, before curling it into an empty net.
Bournemouth's fourth consecutive win in all competitions left United 16th in the table with seven points after eight Premier League games, while the Cherries climb to 13th.
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth
If you hadn't already seen the highlights and didn't know the score, then one look at Michael Carrick's picture above would give you a sense of how bad it was.
As brilliant as Bournemouth were, Manchester United were shocking.
Pundits put it bluntly - it looked like the United players had "downed tools".
Check out the highlights above if you haven't already seen them...
We've been here before, haven't we?
Manager comes in, has a positive effect, performances seem promising, then levels dip, unrest in the camp, cracks develop between players, management and hierarchy, manager gets the sack, players and hierarchy get the blame, new manager comes in, has a positive effect...
Wash, repeat.
How do Manchester United break the cycle?
Should Michael Carrick be sacrificed, as expected? Or is there another way?
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