Man Utd Crisis: Should Managers Be Sacked for Their Own Good? - Gary Neville
BBC Sport explores the recent events at Manchester United following their poor start to the season.
By Sam Drury, BBC Sport journalist
Published 23 minutes ago
Gary Neville believes managers should sometimes be sacked "for their own good," reflecting on Manchester United's decision to stand by under-pressure head coach Michael Carrick.
United currently occupy 16th place in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone, following a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on Sunday.
Carrick, widely expected to be sacked after the loss, will remain in charge for United's trip to Chelsea on Saturday.
Neville, on the Stick to Football podcast, analysed the situation:
"I reckon what's happened in the 24 hours after Bournemouth is that they've literally debated it back and forth. I don't know this, but they've debated it to the point where they've got themselves into a muddle, and thought, 'we'll just stay with him'."
He continued, drawing from his own experience:
"Sometimes a manager needs sacking for their own good. I needed sacking at Valencia. I was happy that they put me out of my misery."
Carrick's position was already fragile before the Bournemouth game, with captain Bruno Fernandes criticising tactics in a 4-1 Champions League loss at Como. Fernandes was dropped for the Bournemouth match but has since held talks with Carrick to resolve the situation.
Neville, however, believes the internal criticism is far more severe than it appears:
"We've all been in football dressing rooms, and they're quite brutal places. If Bruno Fernandes, the captain of the club... if he comes out and questions the manager's tactics after a 4-1 defeat in Como, where he's played like a drain, and the rest of them have as well, that is only 1 or 2% of what they're actually saying internally."
United fans sang Carrick's name during his post-match applause, but booed the players as they left the field.
The club's hierarchy has explored the possibility of replacing Carrick, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann among the potential candidates. For now, Carrick prepares his team for upcoming matches against Roma and Aston Villa before the international break.
Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, added to the discussion:
"I think the biggest thing for Michael Carrick is to get them playing with some sort of confidence."