- Published
Michael Carrick's future as Manchester United head coach will be determined 800 miles away from Old Trafford in Monaco on Wednesday.
asserted
future → publish → Wednesday
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are flying out for one of their regular pre-planned meetings to discuss strategy around the football club.
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Berrada → fly → club
On this occasion, the main issue to be decided is Carrick's future and what should happen next.
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what → decide → occasion
It is expected that Berrada and Wilcox's recommendation is for the head coach to go.
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coach → expect → ?
It is not a situation Sir Jim Ratcliffe can have expected to find himself in again, less than three years after purchasing a minority stake in United.
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Ratcliffe → expect → United
"Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football," he said.
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he → share → football
Instead, United are 18th, in the Premier League's relegation zone after winning just one of their first 10 games and none since August.
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United → win → August
Ratcliffe has been criticised for many decisions since he bought his 28.94% stake for just over £1bn.
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he → criticise → 1bn
This is one he really needs to get right.
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he → need → ?
Why is the meeting taking place in Monaco?
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meeting → take → Monaco
Ratcliffe's home is in Monaco and his company Ineos has offices in the principality.
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company → have → principality
Sources have stressed that the choice of location was not influenced not being the debate around Carrick's future - it just happens to now be the most important item for discussion.
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it → stress → discussion
The decision to sack United's previous two managers was not made in a meeting in Monaco.
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decision → sack → Monaco
Ruben Amorim was sacked 19 hours after his explosive media conference following a 1-1 draw at Leeds in January.
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Amorim → sack → January
Erik ten Hag went a day after Manchester United lost at West Ham leaving them with just three wins from their opening nine matches
A decision to sack Dutchman Ten Hag was taken at a meeting of senior Ineos executives in the summer of 2024, only for the choice to be reversed following the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City.
Four months later there was a six-hour meeting at Ineos HQ in London as Ten Hag's tenure hung by a thread.
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tenure → go → thread
He survived again but was gone three weeks later.
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He → survive → ?
Amorim was summoned to Monaco after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in 2025.
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Amorim → summon → 2025
There is daily contact between senior executives so if the meeting was purely to decide Carrick's fate, it could be done by video conference and the need to travel to Monaco is not the reason why there is yet to be a decision.
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need → be → Monaco
The travel element does add a complication given the preference for Berrada and Wilcox is to inform Carrick of any decision face to face.
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preference → add → face
Sources say the Monaco meetings used to be held every six weeks, although in more recent times they are less frequent.
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they → say → times
Those who have attended them say they take place in the morning, tend to last between three and four hours and usually stop on time so Ratcliffe can go for his regular lunchtime jog.
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Ratcliffe → attend → jog
What do we know about the recommendation to sack Carrick?
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we → know → Carrick
United stood by Carrick after the woeful 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on 25 October.
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United → stand → October
Club sources were adamant they wanted to give Carrick and his players a chance to turn the situation around it was also felt that the two-week international break in November represented a better chance for the club to properly assess the club's start to the campaign.
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club → want → campaign
However, although they did end a long wait for a victory against Roma on 3 November, United had to come from two goals down to seal a 3-2 victory in a chaotic game.
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United → end → game
They failed to press home their advantage after excelling in the first half against Chelsea and eventually lost 2-0 as experienced central defender Lisandro Martinez was sent off.
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Martinez → fail → Chelsea
On Sunday, they conceded twice inside five minutes and had to come from two goals down twice to claim a point against Villa.
uncertain
they → concede → Villa
While sources said the comebacks showed the United squad were still playing for Carrick, it is also understood the chaotic nature of the games and the inability to stop the opposition from scoring has led Berrada and Wilcox, who were at all three matches, to conclude a change of coach is required to get United out of the mess they find themselves in.
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they → say → themselves
United have conceded 30 goals so far this season in 15 games - 19 in 10 Premier League matches, eight in four in the Champions League and three in their one Carabao Cup tie.
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United → concede → tie
Instead of replacing Carrick another option under consideration is additional coaching support to assist the current team.
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option → replace → team
Bayern Munich coach Aaron Danks, who worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough and was touted as a potential appointment in the summer, is one option.
Is the recommendation likely to be accepted?
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recommendation → work → summer
If Ratcliffe was to decide otherwise, it would raise serious questions over the future of Berrada and Wilcox.
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it → decide → Berrada
How could they work with Carrick again in that scenario?
The pair have been the subject of intense and frequent fan discontent.
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pair → work → discontent
But sources are adamant that Ratcliffe still retains faith in the pair, even though United are heading towards sacking a manager in mid-season for the third successive year, having backed them in the summer and spend millions on new players.
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United → retain → players
Ratcliffe is a ruthless operator, and has clear opinions of his own.
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Ratcliffe → have → own
He also has form, spending £5m hiring Dan Ashworth as sporting director from Newcastle in 2024, then waiting for the 55-year-old to spend five months on gardening leave before he could start work.
uncertain
he → have → work
Five months later, Ashworth was sacked due to a divergence of opinion over who should replace Ten Hag.
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who → sack → Hag
Ashworth felt someone with Premier League experience was a better fit for United's squad.
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someone → feel → squad
Ratcliffe wanted a more modern alternative.
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Ratcliffe → want → alternative
Berrada suggested Amorim.
uncertain
Berrada → suggest → Amorim
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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