Carrick stays in charge at Manchester United ahead of Chelsea trip

Michael Carrick will remain Manchester United's manager for Saturday's trip to Chelsea, even as the club's hierarchy reportedly looks at other options.

United lost 3-0 to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. The defeat left them one place above the relegation zone, the bottom group of Premier League clubs who go down to the Championship at the end of the season. They have now gone eight matches without a win in all competitions, and they have won only one of their eight league games this season.

Carrick took interim charge in January, after Ruben Amorim left the club. He was given the job permanently in May, after finishing third and securing Champions League football for next season. Champions League football means a place in Europe's biggest club competition. Before that, he had guided United to 11 wins in 16 matches, including victories over Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The slump has continued since. United lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid and 4-1 to Como in the Champions League. Bruno Fernandes was an unused substitute against Bournemouth. In October, Carrick said the responsibility for the slump rested squarely with him, and he said he backed himself to turn things around.

The BBC reports that the club's leadership explored replacing him, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann among the names considered. Nothing has been decided. Antonio Conte has said he is not in advanced negotiations to take the job.

Carrick was at the training ground on Tuesday morning, leading preparations for the game at Stamford Bridge. He has history against Chelsea. He was in temporary charge for a draw there in November 2021, and in April this year United won at Chelsea under him, their first win at the ground since 2020. Chelsea are now managed by Liam Rosenior, and former United forward Alejandro Garnacho plays for them.

Carrick has called the game a "proper game" in the fight for Champions League places. For a club that has gone two months without the sort of result it wants, Saturday is a chance to change the mood. A win would take United out of the immediate danger area. A defeat would make the pressure on Carrick harder to ignore.