Manchester United have opted to keep Michael Carrick in charge for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea, according to multiple reports. The move amounts to a stay of execution, but the reason for it, and how long it will last, remains uncertain.

Reports first outlined by Mike Keegan of The Overlap say the club’s senior figures have handed Carrick “the opportunity to turn things around”. What form that chance will take is not yet clear, and any fresh defeat against Chelsea would likely drag the pressure straight back onto the manager, unless there is a public endorsement from above. Even then, that kind of backing can often be the final warning rather than a safeguard.

Carrick’s presence continues to divide the mood around the club. At Old Trafford on Sunday, he received a warm response from the stands, with supporters singing his name as he waved what looked like an early goodbye. The players and executives were treated far less kindly. There were pointed chants against co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Glazer family and technical director Jason Wilcox, while the refrain “Sell United and f— off home” rang out loudly.

That fan support for Carrick has not been ignored by those inside the club, with ESPN reporting it “did not go unnoticed”. In a toxic atmosphere, a manager who remains popular with supporters can serve as a useful buffer, although whether Carrick is comfortable being cast in that role is another matter.

The playing squad, meanwhile, is split. Bruno Fernandes has made his position clear, but there is also visible backing for Carrick. Senne Lammens offered support before the Bournemouth defeat, a stance later echoed by Harry Maguire, who said: “We’re fully behind Michael,”. “As individuals, we’re not playing well enough.”

The Guardian reports that Wilcox is driving the decision to retain Carrick, at least for now, while also leading the argument for Eddie Howe as a possible successor. Howe is expected to cost £3 million ($4 million) after agreeing future compensation with Newcastle United during his summer exit.

The calendar may yet work in United’s favour. The lack of Carabao Cup involvement gives the hierarchy five clear days after Chelsea to act, before Roma in the Champions League and then Aston Villa in the Premier League. The November international break could also open a more convenient window.

Asked why United keep finding themselves in the same mess, Carrick replied: “If I really had the answers, I wouldn’t have let it happen,” and added, “If I could do something about it and there was something that I could really control, then I would’ve tried to do everything I can to not be in this position.”

His point is hard to dispute. The wider problems at United run far beyond one manager, with the Glazers’ 2005 leveraged buyout beginning a financial slide that has left the club more than $1.5 billion in debt and owing almost $500 million in transfer fees. Ratcliffe has said the club was close to running out of cash flow before cuts were imposed. Even after a stronger summer 2025 window, the damage of years of mismanagement remains.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or has been settled, with Harry Kane finishing on top after a voting year that produced several eye-catching results.

The headline names at the summit were expected to draw attention, but the real intrigue came further down the list. Some finishes felt harsh, others reflected the weight of trophies, and a few placements invited closer scrutiny.

Bruno Fernandes was the most striking example. No one is suggesting he should have won the award outright, yet placing him 27th, only one spot ahead of Al Qadsiah’s Julián Quiñones, was a major surprise. The Manchester United captain may have been affected by a recent dip, even though the judging period was meant to end on July 19. Over the 2025-26 season, he set a Premier League record for assists in a single campaign and was named the division’s Player of the Year, but he still finished behind five other Premier League players. A place inside the top 15 would have looked far more reasonable.

Fabián Ruiz also caused debate. His case was built on medals, not volume. A regular for the Paris Saint-Germain team that kept the Champions League and won Ligue 1, he also added the World Cup with Spain. That is a strong résumé, yet 10th still feels generous when weighed against his workload. He played only 20 Ligue 1 matches, started 13 of them, and finished the season with three goals and six assists across 2,634 minutes for club and country.

Michael Olise, one place above Fabián, had a compelling claim to a far higher finish. In 52 matches for Bayern Munich, he produced 22 goals and 31 assists, then added seven assists at the World Cup, a tournament record. Those numbers were exceptional, even if they were compared with Kane’s even stronger output.

Unai Simón’s victory among goalkeepers was shaped heavily by Spain’s World Cup success. He conceded just one goal in the tournament, but over the full campaign he allowed 54 in 37 La Liga appearances for an Athletic Club side that finished 12th. His 64.9% save rate was bettered by 16 goalkeepers in Spain’s top flight alone.

The Kopa Trophy, meanwhile, went to the expected winner. Lamine Yamal finished third in Ballon d’Or voting and retained the youth award, which underlines how established he already is in the game.

Michael Carrick’s position at Manchester United remains unsettled, with uncertainty surrounding both his immediate future and the club’s next step. Gary Neville described his former teammate as “a dead man walking” after the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, and reports suggested United were already identifying possible replacements. Yet by Monday morning, Carrick was still carrying out his duties as usual.

According to the Daily Mail, he was at the training ground to watch a behind-closed-doors U-21 friendly with Hull City. It is still not clear whether he will lead the first-team session on Tuesday, or whether he will still be in charge for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea. That uncertainty reflects the broader confusion around the situation.

While Carrick watched young players such as Shea Lacey, Tyler Fletcher and Harry Amass, The Athletic reported that “crunch talks” were taking place among the key decision-makers. Those involved were thought to include minority co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, majority shareholders Joel and Avram Glazer, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox.

United supporters made their feelings clear on Sunday. The manager was warmly received, while the players and club executives were met with fierce criticism from the stands. Carrick, however, cannot be blamed for the 13 years of poor results since Sir Alex Ferguson departed. As Ratcliffe said in 2024: “There have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good. And none of them were successful, or survived for very long. The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were ­working didn’t work.”

That environment still appears deeply flawed, but changing one manager is easier than overhauling the wider structure. Even so, deciding who should come next has not been straightforward. Wilcox is believed to prefer former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, while Christopher Vivell is reported to favour Julian Nagelsmann. Antonio Conte has also been linked, with BBC Sport saying the Italian would be “keen” on the role.

Financial considerations may also be slowing the process. The Athletic reported “lingering suspicions” that cost is part of the delay. Carrick is four months into a two-year deal, and any severance would be “considerable.” Hiring a replacement would also bring extra expense, with The Guardian stating that Howe’s appointment would cost around £3 million ($4 million), plus the cost of bringing his staff with him.

For now, there are “no guarantees” Carrick will be in place for Chelsea. The fixture matters both immediately and longer term, with United needing Champions League qualification to give any future manager meaningful backing.