Five Man Utd players who will welcome inevitable Michael Carrick sack

Michael Carrick has been given a stay of execution by Manchester United, but a managerial change at Old Trafford still feels inevitable.

United sit 16th in the table following their worst start to a league season since 1986/87 and are currently on an eight-game winless run in all competitions.

Carrick had been expected to be sacked after a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, but is now set to remain in charge for the trip to Chelsea this weekend.

If results don’t improve immediately, United will have to dismiss their former midfielder and look for a new manager. Though they won’t pay for the ones they actually want.

We’ve taken a look at five United players who are likely to welcome a change in the dugout.

Bruno Fernandes Fernandes was one of the main beneficiaries of Carrick’s arrival in January, with the manager immediately moving him back to his favoured No.10 position.

He finished the 2025/26 campaign with a record-breaking 21 Premier League assists and won the prestigious PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

But the Portugal international has looked a shadow of his former self in the opening weeks of this season, registering just one assist in all competitions.

He was played out of position against Atletico Madrid, Leeds United and Como and appeared to criticise Carrick’s tactics following the 4-1 defeat in Italy.

“It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little space in behind and try to get the ball in the first moment, to wait for them, to give them the ball,” he said.

“But sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confident, they have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot, make people get frustrated, and then obviously when you recover the ball the legs are, and the brain, much more difficult to make it work.”

The midfielder was then left out of the starting line-up against Bournemouth, and remained on the bench throughout the game as United fell to a 3-0 defeat.

It is only the second time he has been an unused substitute in a Premier League game.

Carrick called Fernandes’ omission “a football decision”, but the relationship between the pair appears to be fractured, and face-to-face talks may result in him facing Chelsea on Saturday.

Despite his underwhelming start to the season, Fernandes remains United’s best player and a managerial change would likely see him restored to the starting line-up.

Mason Mount While Mount played the full 90 minutes against both Como and Bournemouth, those games account for two of the five starts he has made under Carrick.

The midfielder has struggled with a few injury problems but, even when fit, has largely found himself on the periphery in the last 10 months.

He impressed in a deeper midfield role during pre-season, but fell down the pecking order following the signings of Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.

Eddie Howe is reportedly one of the front-runners to take over at Old Trafford, and the manager reportedly wanted to sign Mount for Newcastle United last summer.

His relentless work rate, off-the-ball intensity, and tactical intelligence make him an ideal player for Howe’s favoured midfield three.

“I see myself as bringing a lot of energy into the team and setting off the press at times, being a bit of a catalyst going forward,” Mount said.

“That’s always something that I focus on, helping the people around me and really bringing the energy.”

Basically he runs too much for this version of Manchester United.

Leny Yoro United agreed a package worth up to £58.9million to sign Yoro, who arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2024 with a reputation as one of the most talented young centre-backs in Europe.

The France international was a regular in Ruben Amorim’s back three, but has found opportunities a lot harder to come by under Carrick.

When fit and available, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez have been the manager’s first-choice centre-back partnership.

Yoro started just six games in the second half of last season, and his only Premier League starts this season have come out of position at right-back.

He doesn’t look comfortable in that role and was at fault for Bournemouth’s second goal at Old Trafford, as Adrien Truffert capitalised on his slip before making a simple pass for Marcus Tavernier to score.

A new manager could give the 20-year-old a regular run in the team at centre-back, and he might finally start to show why United paid so much money for him.

If he’s good enough for actual France…

Matheus Cunha Cunha played a key role in United’s strong end to the 2025/26 season, registering six goals and three assists in 15 Premier League appearances under Carrick.

The Brazil international was also a regular in the starting line-up at the start of this season, but appears to have fallen out of favour in recent weeks.

He played a combined total of 16 minutes from the substitutes’ bench against Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, before being brought back into the starting line-up against Como.

The 27-year-old had a heated touchline exchange with Carrick during the first half, and the pair reportedly clashed again at the interval.

He didn’t play in the second half and was back on the bench against Bournemouth, although Carrick did decide to bring him on at half-time.

The forward would potentially be one of the first names on the teamsheet if United appoint Howe, who identified Cunha as a top transfer target for Newcastle before his move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2025.

Benjamin Sesko Alongside the deals for Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, United also fought off competition from Newcastle to sign Sesko from RB Leipzig.

“Manchester United have recruited very well,” Howe said. “The players you have mentioned are outstanding players – players we were aware of in the summer – so well done to them.”

The striker initially had a slow start to his United career but has netted nine goals in all competitions since Carrick’s arrival, making him their joint-top goalscorer under the manager.

Despite his impressive goalscoring return, he’s yet to cement himself in the starting line-up and 11 of his 19 appearances under Carrick have come from the substitutes’ bench.

The 23-year-old is currently injured, but even when he was fully fit, Carrick predominantly played Mbeumo through the middle.

He could also benefit from working under Howe, who prefers a target man and has already shown he can turn a promising talent into a world-class striker.

Alexander Isak arrived at Newcastle in 2022 on the back of a six-goal season in LaLiga and left the club three years later in a £125million deal.