Manchester United crisis deepens as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher call for Michael Carrick to go

A 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth has intensified pressure on Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, with Gary Neville saying his position is now highly uncertain and Jamie Carragher calling for him to be dismissed immediately.

The loss at Old Trafford leaves United without a win in their past eight matches and raises fresh questions about the club’s direction after a disastrous start to the season.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said Carrick’s prospects of remaining in charge had become extremely slim.

“It will become incredibly difficult for Michael Carrick to continue as Manchester United manager. That is the problem the club faces. It is painful to say that,” he said.

Carrick struck a defiant tone in his post-match comments, but his lengthy applause towards the United supporters after the final whistle prompted speculation that it may have been a farewell gesture.

Carragher, the former Liverpool player, was more direct in his assessment and urged the club to act before the end of the day.

“Michael Carrick should be relieved of his duties tonight, not only for the good of Manchester United but also for Michael Carrick himself. Manchester United must make that decision tonight,” he said.

Carrick had earned credit after guiding the club to Champions League qualification when he replaced Ruben Amorim midway through last season. That positive finish had appeared to strengthen his position, but the team’s poor start to the current campaign has brought doubts back to the surface.

Neville also criticised the club’s decision to appoint Carrick, saying United should have chosen a more experienced manager capable of handling the demands of the job.

“Last season, I thought the club should have appointed the best manager available rather than giving the job to Michael Carrick. I expected something like this to happen, and to happen quickly, but things have deteriorated badly and extremely fast. The club is in a mess,” Neville said.

United fans began chanting Carrick’s name after Bournemouth scored their third goal, but Neville cautioned that the manager’s popularity among supporters would not necessarily protect him.

“Manchester United fans are chanting Carrick’s name because the question tomorrow is: will he be the manager?” he said.

“Carrick is popular, but the owners, the sporting department and the players are not. They have badly let the club down.”

Neville added that the club could make a decision that angered some supporters but was necessary in the circumstances.

“It is likely they will make a decision tomorrow that will upset Manchester United fans, but it may be necessary. The club is in complete chaos,” he said.

Further controversy surrounded Bruno Fernandes, who was left out of the starting XI after criticising Carrick’s tactics following Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como. The captain remained on the bench throughout the loss to Bournemouth.

Asked about the selection, Carrick said: “Choosing the team is always difficult. We have to make what we believe is the right decision for the team, trying to produce the performance we want.”

He said Fernandes’ omission was based on “purely footballing considerations”, rather than his previous comments about the team’s style of play.