Michael Carrick’s honest and worrying comments about Man Utd in a private chat with Nicky Butt
Nicky Butt’s chat with Michael Carrick before he took charge at Manchester United shows some worrying signs for the club. When Carrick was named interim manager in January, many thought he’d only be there for a short while.
He stepped into a tough situation after Ruben Amorim left and expectations were low. But Carrick surprised many by helping the Red Devils finish third and qualify for the Champions League, winning 12 of their last 17 league games.
Because of that great work, Carrick got a two-year contract. But the excitement at the start of the 2026/27 season has quickly faded. So far, Man United has only picked up six points from six Premier League games, including a draw against 10-man Tottenham, which has put a lot of pressure on the club legend.
Many managers have faced similar pressure since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. According to Nicky Butt, Carrick didn’t plan to return to management after being let go by Middlesbrough in June 2025—until United came calling.
“I was with Michael before he got the Man United job, and we talked about managing. He said, ‘Not for me, it’s too much, my head’s all over the place. I’ll only do it for the big job, and that’s Man United,’” Butt shared on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
Butt also mentioned that Carrick has come back to a club that feels “different” from what he remembered. He pointed out that club legends like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wouldn’t have turned down the chance to manage United.
The club has been struggling from top to bottom since Ferguson’s amazing era ended 13 years ago, and the summer only showed more challenges.
United’s performances in the first two months haven’t been great, partly because of a frustrating transfer window. Carrick wanted INEOS to invest more in the squad, but the club only strengthened the midfield with Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos, and Youri Tielemans.
He was left without reinforcements at left-back and striker, making his job even harder. On top of that, the players haven’t helped much—they’ve been outrun by opponents many times. In fact, United covered only 111.9km in their first six league games, which is the fifth-lowest in the league.
They were even outrun by nearly 5km during the draw with Tottenham, where Dominic Solanke scored an equalizer in stoppage time to earn the 10-man Spurs a deserved point.
Carrick’s team hasn’t won in their last four games across all competitions and now face a tough trip to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League tonight (October 13).