Michael Carrick told Man United 'vacuum' could get him sacked

Michael Carrick could potentially lose his job as Manchester United manager during the November international break in the Premier League.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the pressure is already starting to build on the 45-year-old after a poor start to the campaign. 

Carrick’s men have won just one of their opening four Premier League games, despite facing two of the newly-promoted clubs in that run.

Wyness believes that the boss faces a pivotal few weeks where he needs to turn the team’s results around, or he could fall victim to the “vacuum” of the international break.

The Red Devils have nine games between now and the November break, including clashes with Tottenham, Chelsea, Leeds and Aston Villa, plus the start of their Champions League campaign.

Carrick’s position at Old Trafford is already starting to come under genuine scrutiny, and Wyness is clear that results are the only way for him to prevent the pressure from growing.

Manchester United could ‘give in’ on Michael Carrick

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that United will try to give Carrick as long as possible before they ultimately “give in” on him. 

The Red Devils handed the former interim boss the reins on a full-time basis in the summer, but doubts have already started to emerge over his suitability for the role. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why the November international break could prove to be the tipping point for Carrick’s future.

“Well, this next couple of games are important for them, and I think after the November international break they're going to have to start looking at that,” he said.

“Now the trouble is, the only thing that can solve things is goals and points. That's what's got to happen, or the pressure will build. 

“In international breaks as well, that's when the football vacuum is filled with stories from behind the scenes, which can put even more pressure on because there are no games to talk about.

“So I think the second break, he’d better get something going by that time or else the pressure will really start to build. You'd possibly be looking at the start of the new year for them giving in once again and making a change. But it's not the United I grew up with, that's for sure.”

Carrick facing new Man United ‘issue’

Football Insider revealed last week that the introduction of the Champions League to the fixture list has provided a huge “issue” with Carrick to deal with moving forward.

The Red Devils began their continental campaign by dismantling Sabah on home turf, but far tougher tests lie ahead against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Carrick now faces the prospect of having to manage and rotate his squad constantly, rather than the previous luxury of only having one game to deal with each week.

That is set to test him and the squad to their limits in the coming weeks, as they bid to address their poor start.