Carrick accepts blame for Man United slump, but ‘confident’ of a turnaround

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mounted an impassioned defence of ⁠⁠his leadership on Friday, accepting responsibility ⁠⁠for the club's collapse in form and saying he remains convinced he can lead the team out of their current crisis.

Key points

• He took over in January 2026 after the sacking of Ruben Amorim and oversaw a remarkable turnaround, steering United to a top-three finish and Champions League qualification.
• While Bournemouth are a point behind them in 15th, united are 13th in the Premier League standings on seven points.
• The defeat intensified scrutiny of Carrick after captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to question United's tactical approach in his post-match comments.
• Despite growing speculation regarding his future, Carrick struck a ⁠⁠defiant tone, saying he remained confident United could rediscover the energy and connection that characterised ⁠⁠last season's performances.
• Carrick described the loss in Italy as one of the most painful nights of his tenure.

Carrick's position is under increasing pressure after United extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions with Wednesday's humiliating 4-1 ⁠⁠Champions League defeat at Como leaving them 20th in the table with three points.

Before taking questions ahead of Sunday's Premier League home game against Bournemouth, Carrick delivered an emotional opening statement, acknowledging supporters' frustrations and the scale of the challenge facing him.

"Lately, we haven't had a good time. I think that's ⁠⁠pretty obvious. So I totally accept what we're going through right now, " he remarked.

"We had five months of relative success in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things I was seeing and that we were doing as a team, " he remarked.

"We haven't done well enough lately. We've had a spell that we're really not happy with."

"Wednesday was a bad ‌‌night. It was a bad night for a lot of reasons. It hurt a lot, " he remarked. "It obviously hurt me to see us play that way. As I remarked after the game, it was really unacceptable."

Notably, the defeat intensified scrutiny of Carrick after captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to question United's tactical approach in his post-match comments. Dressing room cracks for Carrick after Fernandes outburst.

Asked whether public criticism from players suggested cracks within the dressing room, Carrick rejected any suggestion the squad was split.

He additionally sidestepped questions over Fernandes' future as captain and declined to reveal whether he had held negotiations with the Portugal midfielder after the defeat.

Instead, he stressed that his priority was restoring an identity that has disappeared from the side in recent weeks.

"My responsibility is to ⁠⁠get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters and they can be proud ⁠⁠of it with the identity that we show, " Carrick remarked.

"We have gone away from that just recently in certain games, which I'm fully aware of and definitely doing something about."

He reserved special mention for United's fans, plenty of of whom travelled to Como only to watch their side suffer the heaviest defeat of his reign.

"The supporters are a massive part of this ⁠⁠football club. They have to create the effort and the time and capital they spend, to feel how we all felt on Wednesday was a tough moment, " he noted. Carrick defiant as Man United form slides.

"For to feel like they felt for five months at the start of the year. Is something we need to obtain back to. We will obtain back to it. I fully believe that, " remarked ‌‌Carrick.

Although the 57-year-old Italian remarked on Friday he had not had any negotiations "at an advanced stage" with any club, former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is among the names linked with United's managerial job.

Carrick acknowledged that United had lost their way but remarked responsibility rested squarely with him.

He concluded ‌‌his ‌‌opening remarks by saying it was his duty to secure the club back on course, describing his role as "holding the umbrella for me to get wet and everyone else to stay dry".

For now, carrick accepts blame for Man United slump, but 'confident' of a turnaround remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.