Have Man Utd become the unmanageable club?

The cycle of doom that has engulfed every Manchester United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson now has Michael Carrick in its unforgiving grip, writes Phil McNulty. Manchester United are without a win in seven games in all competitions The cycle of doom that has ultimately engulfed every Manchester United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson now has the hapless Michael Carrick in its unforgiving grip. Carrick recreated a familiar scene – the same one acted out by predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a 4-1 loss at Watford in November 2021 cost him his job – by raising his hands in apology to supporters who had just seen United humiliated by the same scoreline at Como in the Champions League.

Carrick is the seventh full-time manager since Ferguson stepped down in 2013 after winning 38 trophies during 26 years in charge. Since then there have been days of success under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag, and moments of hope, but the final outcome is always the same – dismissal. Carrick will need something miraculous to change that storyline, with results poor and revolt within the dressing room as defender Lisandro Martinez took aim at director of football Jason Wilcox after the Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid, while captain Bruno Fernandes questioned the tactics in Como. It hints