Carrick’s Man United Tenure Under the Microscope as Slow Start Fuels Conte Speculation
Michael Carrick’s time in permanent charge of Manchester United is barely a month old in the 2026/27 season, but scrutiny is already building — not because of confirmed boardroom disputes, but because of a shaky start on the pitch and fresh managerial speculation out of Italy.
A promising audition turned uneasy start
Carrick took the United job on an interim basis in January 2026 after Ruben Amorim was sacked, inheriting a team sitting seventh in the table. He impressed enough — including a run of wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham — to guide United to a third-place finish and a return to the Champions League, earning himself the job on a permanent footing for this season.
That momentum has stalled early in 2026/27. United have taken just four points from their opening four Premier League games, a run that includes a loss to Hull City, a draw with Everton, and a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby on September 13 — leaving them eight points off pace-setters Arsenal.
Derby defeat wrapped in VAR controversy
The loss to City was notable less for the football than for its officiating storyline. City played more than half the match with ten men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute, yet still won through an Erling Haaland strike in the 60th minute — a goal awarded only after a lengthy VAR review. Enzo Fernandez was standing offside as he went to head the ball toward Haaland, but officials judged he hadn’t interfered with play, allowing the goal to stand.
Carrick made his frustration clear afterward, describing the officiating logic as a serious misstep that left him baffled, while defender Lisandro Martinez said he’d been drawn out of position by the presence of his international teammate Fernandez and called the outcome unjust. Carrick added that while the decision wouldn’t define United’s season, it clearly affected the outcome of that particular game, and stressed the onus remained on his players to create and convert their own chances.
Conte speculation resurfaces
Against that backdrop of a slow start, Italian outlet Corriere della Sera reported this week that Manchester United have identified Antonio Conte as their preferred option should they eventually move on from Carrick, with the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Napoli boss said to be weighing a return to club management after leaving Napoli last season.
It’s not the first time Conte’s name has circled Old Trafford. He was strongly linked with the job back in 2021 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was under pressure, but United ultimately passed. According to reporting at the time, club officials had reservations about his confrontational management style, wary of repeating the disruption seen under Jose Mourinho, whose exit prompted an internal effort to reset the club’s culture.
There is no indication Carrick’s job is in immediate danger, and United have won three of their last four matches in all competitions, including a 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah FK. But with only one league win from four and a run of testing fixtures ahead, the Conte reports are a reminder of how quickly speculation can build around Old Trafford whenever results dip.
What to watch
For now, the story around Carrick is less about a documented rift with the board and more about the pressure that comes with any rough patch at a club with United’s expectations. Upcoming fixtures — starting with a Carabao Cup tie against Brighton — will go a long way toward determining whether this is a passing wobble or the start of a genuine crisis of confidence in the manager.