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There’s plenty of blame to go around at Old Trafford. Like all downfalls it started with a seemingly small, unconnected moment Sign up for our free newsletter here And so here we are again, at that point as the nights draw in and Manchester United prepare to sack a manager . Autumn: season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and a crisis at Old Trafford. Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth , coming on the back of last week’s 4-1 reverse against Como, made clear what many had feared from the moment Michael Carrick was given the job on a permanent basis: that he isn’t up to it. But then, who could be? When you’ve burned through a long list of managers in 13 years, it’s perhaps worth considering whether the manager is really the problem. Could some blame perhaps go to the director of football, Jason Wilcox, or the chief executive, Omar Berrada, the people making the appointments? Or perhaps to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the cost-cutting tax exile and minority shareholder with responsibility for sporting operations? Or to the Glazer family, who plunged the club into debt with a leveraged buyout in 2005 and have since made calamitous decision after calamitous decision, reducing the most successful club in English league history to a mid-table laughing stock with a roof that leaks symbolically ? This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here . Continue reading...

Midfielder Bruno Fernandes was benched by Michael Carrick for Manchester United's latest defeat to Bournemouth.

Bournemouth’s transfer nous puts United to shame, Araújo is winning admirers at Anfield and Suzuki adapts swiftly at Villa The three Bournemouth goalscorers cost a combined £85m, joining from Vasco da Gama, Middlesbrough, and Porto. The Cherries are smart at investing, far more so than Manchester United, who have wasted a lot of money by failing to look outside the box for players like Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson. United may not have the wealth they previously showed in the transfer market but Bournemouth are showing what can be done within a budget and, more importantly, will be able to make a profit on signings. United, however, only know losses as everyone’s price tag diminishes the moment they come through the Old Trafford door. Jason Wilcox and others can point to certain factors that are against them but there are quality signings to be made at the right price if you have the ability to find them. Will Unwin Match report: Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth Will Unwin: Carrick left carrying can for institutional failings Match report: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City Match report: Liverpool 2-0 Brighton Match report: Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham Barney Ronay: Glitch in Chelsea’s coding costs Alonso while resurgent Spurs are all systems go Continue reading...

⚽️ Premier League updates from 2pm GMT ⚽️ Live scoreboard | Send Daniel an email Daniel Otherwise, Carrick goes for ballast in the midfield, with Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, which makes sense, but in front of him, there’s a palpable lack of magic. Matheus Cunha, hooked at half-time in Como, drops out, with Amad one of the least dreadful when he came on, coming in on the right. His numbers tell us he’s not the standard required, but he offers good out-of-possession work and gives the team balance, such as it is, the only dribbles in a team severely lacking one v one ability. Otherwise, Mason Mount, every manager’s favourite, is relocated to the left, while Bryan Mbeumo continues up front in the absence of Benjamin Sesko – which tells us plenty about what Carrick thinks of Joshua Zirkzee, despite his goal in midweek. Continue reading...

⚽️ News before the 2pm GMT Premier League fixtures ⚽️ How they stand | Fixtures | Mail John Aintree Racecourse has confirmed today’s race meeting has been cancelled due to high winds. Will that mean Liverpool v Brighton is called off? The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind in Liverpool and Merseyside due to Storm Boelo, which remains active through today until 9:00 PM on Sunday, October 25, 2026 Continue reading...

With Michael Carrick’s future at Old Trafford a matter of some debate, we examine the credentials of those who could succeed him The German was of interest to Manchester City while Omar Berrada was part of the hierarchy on the other side of town. He is highly thought of and would come with an impressive CV for a 39-year-old, having taken charge of Bayern Munich and Germany. Nagelsmann is regarded as an innovator who is very demanding of his players and builds teams to press relentlessly, a concept not currently used at United, as Bruno Fernandes will testify . His spell with Germany was underwhelming, concluding with a 2026 World Cup last-32 defeat by Paraguay , and at Bayern – with an exceptional squad – he won the Bundesliga in his only full season and was sacked the following March with the team second and still in the Champions League. Continue reading...