Man Utd
How Michael Carrick’s Permanent Appointment Reshapes Manchester United
Carrick’s promotion stabilises United: Mainoo and Fernandes thrive while Amorim’s era unravels. Season
Michael Carrick’s elevation to permanent manager arrives after an interim run that revived Manchester United’s form in the second half of the season. Going into the final weekend the club are guaranteed to finish third, only a fifth top-three placing in 13 seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Ole Gunnar Solskjær managed two of those finishes in 2019–20 and 2020–21, with José Mourinho (2017–18) and Erik ten Hag (2022–23) providing the others.
Twelve months on from a worst-ever Premier League season under Ruben Amorim there is renewed optimism at Old Trafford. Recruitment is required, but the squad’s framework looks healthier and Champions League income will be important.
There are clear winners. Kobbie Mainoo’s season is extraordinary. He had not started a single Premier League game before Ruben Amorim’s departure in early January. Under Carrick he has started 15 of 16, missing only one match through injury — United lost without him. Carrick, a former deep-lying playmaker, has publicly valued Mainoo’s attributes and championed the 21-year-old from day one.
Bruno Fernandes has also benefited. The captain had opportunities to leave in recent transfer windows but stayed and has been rewarded as Carrick’s setup has allowed him greater freedom to create and increase his assists.
Carrick’s longevity at the club matters. With 15 years at Manchester United behind him, his approach has tapped into what supporters expect: fast, direct football focussed on creating chances. The change has involved simplifying overly intricate systems that preceded him. During his playing career Carrick came through the ranks at West Ham United, becoming an established first-team player from the age of 19, and he has signalled a desire to promote youth. “A massive part of me, and for this football club, is to try and bring the younger players on and give them opportunities to see what they can do, for sure,” he said this month. That could eventually include 15-year-old prodigy JJ Gabriel next season.
The contrast with the Amorim tenure is stark. His recruitment split the senior leadership and contributed to the end of Dan Ashworth’s brief reign as sporting director, while his tactical plan never suited the players. Had Carrick not succeeded, Andoni Iraola was once viewed as the leading alternative after his work with Bournemouth, but the club elected otherwise.
Not all reaction has been positive. Roy Keane said Carrick was “absolutely not” the right long-term choice and declared: “If United win every game until the end of the season, I still wouldn’t be giving him the job. I still wouldn’t be convinced he’s the man for the job. They need a bigger and better manager. Are we going to sit here and believe Michael Carrick can get United winning league titles? It’s not enough for me.”
Manuel Ugarte’s time as a Manchester United player might now draw to a close.
Arsenal
October Premier League award nominees announced
Premier League October award nominees include standout performers and managers across the division.
The Premier League has named the contenders for its October 2026 Player and Manager of the Month awards, with eight players and six managers included on the respective shortlists.
Bournemouth forward Evanilson enjoyed a productive month, finishing October with four goals and one assist from four appearances as his team beat Sunderland, Manchester United and Leeds United after a slow opening to the season.
Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson also reached four goals in the month. The former Chelsea player scored twice in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and also found the net in draws against Brentford and Fulham.
Arsenal are represented by Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice after a perfect month. Konsa impressed in defence while William Saliba was absent, keeping two clean sheets in three outings and scoring his first goal for the club. Rice contributed two important assists at the other end.
Jack Rudoni’s form has helped Coventry City. The newly promoted side took two wins from four matches in October, with Rudoni scoring three times as they moved further away from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur also had an unbeaten month, and Jan Paul van Hecke played a key role in wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutch defender last month.
Brighton have two nominees in Luka Vušković and Bart Verbruggen. Three clean sheets in four matches brought recognition for the Seagulls’ defence.
On the managerial shortlist, Chelsea scored more goals than any other team in October with nine, while Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta guided his side to the top of the table. Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery, Fabian Hürzeler and Marco Rose complete the list after strong runs during the month.
Month
Player
Club
August
João Pedro
Chelsea
September
Pascal Groß
Brighton
Month
Manager
Club
August
Sergej Jakirović
Hull
September
Aston Villa
Carrick Gets Breathing Space After United’s Roma Fightback
United’s comeback over Roma offers Carrick relief, but Villa and the November break still loom.
Old Trafford has staged many remarkable evenings, but Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League win over Roma may prove especially significant for Michael Carrick. Trailing by two goals inside 18 minutes, United looked to be heading for a damaging defeat before a Matheus Cunha-inspired recovery changed the mood entirely.
The victory does not erase the wider concerns around the team, yet it at least gives Carrick a platform before the weekend trip to Aston Villa. That match will be United’s final fixture before the November international break, a point at which the club’s decision-makers will have a clear chance to weigh up the manager’s future and consider whether a change is needed.
At half-time, with boos around the stadium and United behind, Carrick’s position appeared seriously threatened. Instead, the second half offered a striking response. Any suggestion that the players had stopped battling for him was undermined by a much sharper and more determined 45 minutes.
The numbers reflected the shift. In the opening half, United produced just 0.24 expected goals, five shots and one effort on target, while Roma held the edge in every key area. After the break, the hosts generated 2.46 expected goals, registered 10 shots and placed five efforts on target, scoring three times in the process.
That turnaround gives Carrick a measure of relief and guarantees he will lead the side against Villa. United could still have acted before the break if another poor result had followed, but the 45-year-old now has another opportunity to strengthen his case.
Villa are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches, yet United can draw comfort from the recent record in this fixture, having won six of the last eight meetings and 13 of the last 15 at Old Trafford.
Even so, the pressure remains intense. United have won only three of their 14 matches across all competitions this season, while public criticism from Lisandro Martínez and Bruno Fernandes has added to the strain. Carrick may have bought time, but the wider picture still leaves his future uncertain.
Aston Villa
Cunha available for Aston Villa after Champions League dismissal
Cunha’s Champions League red-card ban will not rule him out of Manchester United’s Aston Villa fixture.
Matheus Cunha’s eventful Champions League night against Roma ended with celebration, controversy and a suspension that will not affect Manchester United this weekend.
Cunha was central to the comeback, first by earning the penalty that helped change the game and then by scoring the winner after United had been pushed into a strong late position. Bruno Fernandes had earlier converted a retaken penalty early in the second half, before Cunha levelled after a Leo Balerdi error and then finished clinically at Devis Vásquez’s near post following Shea Lacey’s pass.
The Brazilian’s decisive contribution came with a cost. He collected two yellow cards in the closing stages, leaving him with a one-match ban. Even so, Manchester United can still call on him against Aston Villa on Sunday, because disciplinary suspensions from UEFA competition do not carry into the Premier League.
That means the ban will instead be served later this month, when United meet Sporting CP in Lisbon on Matchday 5 of the league phase, on Nov. 25.
Cunha’s first booking came after his goal, as he took off his shirt and then jumped into the crowd, both of which counted against him. The second arrived after Jesús Gil Manzano, who had awarded United a penalty at the start of the second half, was left with no option but to caution him again for his stoppage-time challenge on Balerdi.
It was a dramatic conclusion to a night that had already swung sharply in United’s favour, with Cunha emerging as the key figure in a revival that may have eased the pressure on Michael Carrick, at least for now.
