WHEN MANCHESTER UNITED visited Chelsea in the Premier League on 31 October, it was the start of a three-game run for Michael Carrick to somehow prove he wasn’t a dead man walking.

A 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge followed.

Lisandro Martínez produced a top-tier disaster class by giving away a penalty kick and then getting a second yellow card for a needless forearm smash in the box just seconds after he was given his first caution.

It reinforced the feeling among some at the club that the Argentina defender was happy to try and speed up his exit from Old Trafford by behaving so recklessly.

After all, it was only a couple of weeks since a 2-0 defeat away to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, when Martinez went public with scathing criticism of United’s director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s hierarchy for their failure to strengthen the squad over the summer. 

The Spanish club considered a move for Martinez last summer before opting for international teammate Cristian Romero.

The United man has wanted a new deal on improved financial terms since winning the World Cup in 2022. Injuries and poor form meant he was kept waiting.

His anger, as tends to be the case in football, stems from self-interest and self-preservation.

When United were then comprehensively beaten by Como eight days later, after Carrick was outwitted tactically by Cesc Fàbregas, captain Bruno Fernandes turned on his manager and the coaching staff over how they asked the team to play.

The obvious assumption was that Fernandes and Martinez, two of the senior figures in the dressing room, were in cahoots. The 42 understands this not to be the case. In fact, it’s believed the pair’s relationship is not as strong as you would imagine.

Fernandes would be regarded as a far more positive figure in the dressing room, which is why his criticism of Carrick and the staff took some aback. It’s understood that the former head coach was not strong enough in developing relationships with players after he was handed a two-year permanent deal.

Michael Carrick drives out of Man Utd's training ground on Thursday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

His interim period was a stunning success, overachieving to qualify for the Champions League, but then losing key players and not bringing in the necessary quality.

Casemiro, for one, was a big loss in the United dressing room. He might not always have been the most upbeat presence every day, but his standards in training put others to shame, as did his work ethic.

That void still remains, as Carrick and those around him have come to realise.

- Frustration -

By the time of that visit to Stamford Bridge at the end of last month, a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford the weekend before appeared to be the final nail in the coffin.

Carrick kept his job, in part, because of the caustic reaction of the home fans to the players and the hierarchy, while loudly supporting the former player in the dugout.

When Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada attended the game in west London (Jim Ratcliffe did not, despite owning a home nearby), they had decided to give Carrick three games until this international window.

Their mood was sombre and one of frustration at just how far United were falling. And yet they weren’t even in the relegation zone. Yet.

In these corridors of power, there are long-standing relationships between people due to shared experiences that have allowed rivals to form a bond. People in football talk.

The vibe was that Wilcox would prefer someone like Eddie Howe to be high on the list of possible replacements for Carrick. The view was that United were an unfit team and not coached well enough.

So much of the spotlight has rightly fallen on Wilcox and Berrada. After all, they are the ones who were summoned to Monaco to confirm to minority owner Ratcliffe that their advice was to sack Carrick.

They did so on Thursday morning, as reported by The 42, when Berrada informed him at the training ground.

Bruno Fernandes (bottom left) and Lisandro Martinez (top right). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

But it’s also important to recognise the role of Christopher Vivell, United’s director of recruitment, as well as their head of senior scouting Kyle Macaulay. Both joined United from Chelsea at different stages, Vivell in the summer of 2024 and Macaulay towards the end of last year.

- Market moves - 

Macaulay is respected and trusted by those who know how he operates. He may be viewed as somewhat of a procrastinator when it comes to recommending signings, falling into the familiar trap of focusing on weaknesses, but as a professional, there are no doubts about his conduct.

He was faced with a tough situation at Chelsea as he was one of former boss Graham Potter’s closest confidants, having worked with him as an analyst at Östersunds before moving into scouting and recruitment at Swansea City and Brighton.

Chelsea kept him after sacking Potter, and eventually he departed for United. When they signed Andrey Santos, it raised eyebrows, especially after bringing in Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. It was noted by outsiders in recruitment operating in the same market that United’s best midfielder is Kobbie Mainoo, and yet they brought in two new bodies with the same characteristics.

There are also major misgivings about Carlos Baleba and his ability to last 90 minutes. Aside from his most recent hamstring injury, the feeling is that the midfielder has not yet proven he has the physical fitness and capability to be the consistent, reliable presence United need in midfield.

A crazy 3-2 comeback win over Roma in the Champions League followed by last Sunday’s chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa eventually signalled the end.

- Caution -

The name of Mauricio Pochettino had not seriously been on anyone’s radar as a possible replacement until early this week. Maybe if they wanted to suss things out with some of their peers at Chelsea, they might have tried to do a bit of digging?

That was his last job in club management before leaving for the United States men’s national team. There might have been some words of caution.

Man Utd minority owner Jim Ratcliffe (left), CEO Omar Berrada (centre) and director of football Jason Wilcox (right). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Pochettino arrived in the summer of 2023 after impressing in his interview with the club’s new co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

Coaches Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino (his son) also arrived. They are a protective group, some describing them as “almost mafia-like” in how they show respect to the main man.

Todd Boehly, who has since sold his stake in the club, was enamoured by the new manager. Everyone at Chelsea was. It’s public knowledge now, but some remember being taken aback by his insistence on having lemons in his office. Apparently they help with channelling positivity and good energy.

Pochettino and his staff are big on body language, embracing players with hugs and fist bumps and high-fives on a daily basis. At the same time, they will also make them do pitch runs and sprints at the end of training sessions at least two or three times a week. Will such an approach still be possible with United playing European football (for now) and already three months into the season?

Fans will relish the thought of these players being put through some pain, but they should probably brace themselves for the struggles on the pitch to continue.

Pochettino finished his season strongly at Chelsea with just one defeat in their final 15 games. There were nine wins, with five in a row to finish the campaign, but concerns about his style of play and how he wants his team to operate were a concern within a couple of months.

Ironically, his first Chelsea game was a 1-1 draw with Liverpool. If he can get the same result when United visit Anfield next weekend, that will be deemed sufficient for a new manager bounce. United, after all, are in the relegation zone with just eight points from 10 games. They have one Premier League victory so far, and it was at home to Ipswich Town on 30 August.

- Up for grabs -

Pochettino is not a manager who is consumed by positional play or team structure. At Chelsea, there was dismay at the complete lack of control he was able to assert in his gameplan and how the result so often felt in the balance.

His style has been described as loose, as someone quite happy to have a game up for grabs going into the last 20 minutes with trust that his methods will allow his best players to produce.

The problem is, unlike at Tottenham Hotspur when he was in charge of their best team for a generation, United have nowhere near the same level of quality or depth or fitness. Spurs had a young group emerging together, whereas United’s is fractured both in terms of harmony but also age profile and ability.

Pochettino’s influence and impact at Spurs were undeniable, but the belief that he is a head coach who will happily eschew proven, experienced players for youth is naive in the extreme.

Cole Palmer didn’t win Pochettino over straight away but a combination of his fitness, physical output and ability to affect games with goals and assists made him a cornerstone of the team. For Carrick, things crumbled to such an extent that he could rely on nobody to fill a similar role.

The foundations are weak, the debts mounting and the pressure relentless. Pochettino is taking charge of United at a time of unprecedented failure in the modern era, but there is no certainty further depths do not await.