The immediate results are hard to ignore. Another report says United have gone nine games without a win, while former defender Gary Neville has described the club as being stuck in a rut. That kind of run puts the manager under scrutiny, but it also points to a wider failure to turn performances into results.
Supporters may judge Carrick’s decisions, but they can also see the limits of what any coach can fix quickly. A manager can set the shape and choose the team; he cannot instantly undo years of uneven squad building or make an unsettled club feel coherent. When poor starts recur across different regimes, frustration tends to spread beyond the latest appointment.
That wider view may explain why Carrick has retained some goodwill. Fans who believe responsibility is shared across the club may be reluctant to make him the sole scapegoat. Manchester United have changed managers repeatedly since Alex Ferguson’s departure, without restoring sustained consistency at the top. For some supporters, another dismissal risks repeating the familiar cycle rather than addressing its causes.
But sympathy has limits. If results continue to slide, even fans who see structural problems will demand visible improvement from the team and its manager. Patience can buy time; it cannot replace progress.
The next run of fixtures will test whether Carrick can steady the side and give supporters a reason to believe the club is moving forward. If not, the debate will sharpen-not just over his future, but over who is accountable for United’s direction.