Carrick sack: Ratcliffe poised to overrule Wilcox as Man Utd co-owner uses AI to pick next boss
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to step in and send Michael Carrick packing from Old Trafford as the Manchester United co-owner turns to AI to source a replacement.
Carrick is on thin ice as Man Utd have lose five of their opening 11 games in all competitions this season, with the 4-1 defeat to Como on Wednesday particularly damaging given what happened on the pitch and in the aftermath.
The Red Devils were embarrassed by their Serie A hosts, who were competing in the Champions League for the very first time, and captain Bruno Fernandes broke ranks after the game to take aim at Carrick’s tactics.
READ: Michael Carrick third in ranking of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 23 Man Utd mistakes
Fernandes has been destroyed by pundits in the wake of his comments, with Wayne Rooney branding him and teammate Lisandro Martinez – who hit out at technical director Jason Wilcox last week – “selfish babies”.
Despite suggestions that Carrick might not make it to the weekend, it’s been confirmed that he will take charge of the clash with Bournemouth on Sunday and face the media at 1.30pm on Friday.
The Athletic report that Wilcox – who ‘has a good relationship with Carrick’ – continues to back the under-fire coach as he ‘understands’ the difficulty in leading the team after a restricted budget limited their summer transfer activity, while injuries have also had a significant impact in recent weeks.
The leadership team are reticent to make a third mid-season change in the three years since Ratcliffe arrived at the club.
But, the report adds, ‘Ratcliffe has made interventions on various matters at United in different moments, and his influence on this latest issue cannot be discounted’.
And the Red Devils co-owner is leaning on Michael Sansoni, United’s director of data & AI, who is ‘running the numbers’ on alternative managers and ‘is said to be growing in influence and has a good connection with Ratcliffe’.
It’s claimed some at the club want Carrick to be ‘backed firmly to imbue him with greater authority’ as they believe ‘the current problems as owing a large degree to the players, who are making basic errors on the pitch’.
The report adds:
‘They believe sending a message of stability could break the cycle of slipping standards when the going gets tough.
‘People close to the team have seen this story before, and feel players shrink when the scale of the task at United is laid bare. A lack of confidence is said to be an issue at present.’
But ‘people with knowledge say United, inevitably, are privately weighing up the options’.
Eddie Howe ‘has the most compelling case for some at the club’, while director of recruitment Christopher Vivell ‘likes’ Julian Nagelsmann.
‘Several people would be stunned’ if they went for Antonio Conte given his ‘hardline style and potential for more combustible episodes between the directors’ box and the dugout’.
And while Fabian Hurzeler is ‘widely viewed as the outstanding Premier League coach’, after signing a new contract in May until 2029 ‘Brighton sources are confident he will stay’.
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