Ruben Amorim cited as Michael Carrick battles 'unhappy' Man United situation
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is fighting against the troubled relationship between the club and its fans that has been built up by the board.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the boss is being wounded by a lack of decisiveness and visibility from above.
The 45-year-old is under pressure at Old Trafford after a start that has seen them win just one of their opening four Premier League games, while they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Wyness believes that the United hierarchy have created a difficult situation for Carrick to work in, and feels that they owe it to him to give him time to improve the team as a result.
The former Middlesbrough boss was handed the job on a full-time basis this summer, after an impressive interim spell at the helm last term.
However, it hasn't taken long for question marks to emerge surrounding his future, but Wyness believes that is through no fault of his own.
Man United facing Ruben Amorim repeat
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 speculation surrounding Carrick's long-term future is providing "echoes of Ruben Amorim" at the moment.
United made the decision to back the Portuguese boss ahead of last season, only to ultimately sack him at the start of January, with Carrick then taking the reins.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why he can see history repeating itself to some extent.
"There are echoes of Amorim here again. I mean, they've made the decision and stuck with him in the off-season and given him the job, and now he could go quickly," he said.
"Nobody's really owning the strategy and really giving somebody the security to happen long-term. We all know the story of Alex Ferguson, how he was almost sacked and then went on to be their greatest manager.
"They did stick by Amorim to a degree, but they've got to give Carrick a chance if they really back him and believe in him after deciding this was the strategy to go forward.
"We gave them plaudits for having a more disciplined transfer window, so they didn't really go mad this window. But still, every squad needs a chance to gel, and I think Carrick needs a chance to do that as well.
"We know at Man United the pressure's never far away, and certainly this start is not good. Put that together with the fan discontent right now, it's once again an unhappy place."
Man United alienate fans with 'terribly executed' plan
Wyness told Football Insider earlier this week that United's clampdown on ticket touting at Old Trafford was a "terribly executed" plan.
The Red Devils hierarchy recently stipped over 680 fans of their season tickets, prompting protests in the Stretford End ahead of their recent defeat to Manchester City.
Wyness labelled the move as "another big PR mistake," with several fans feeling aggrieved at being banned after handing their tickets over to friends and family.
That is just one of many moves that have riled up the United fanbase in the last 12 months, and it is certainly not a harmonious situation at the moment.