Man Utd supervisor LIVE: Mauricio Pochettino talks start as Michael Carrick awaits sack resolution
Silly punts roll the dice again
Jeremy Cross, Chief sports writer for The Daily Star, sets the scene for the day’s events.
Manchester United’s supposed kingmakers will meet in Monte Carlo today and put their cards on the table.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will host a game of stick or twist with fellow executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox that will determine their club’s long-term future.
Sack Michael Carrick and appoint a replacement capable of dragging the English giants out of the gutter?
Or persist with someone who remains cheap – if no longer cheerful?
USA boss Mauricio Pochettino is high on United’s list of candidates, despite a compensation fee in the region of £7m.
The Argentine, who agreed a new deal with the USA in August, is understood to be keen on swapping the Stars and Stripes for a bunch of wet wipes instead.
Whatever direction United’s three unwise men decide to go in, there is little point in complaining about the hand they’re currently holding… because they dealt it to themselves.
It feels ironic that Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox will come together in Monaco.
One of the most exclusive places on the planet, detached from the real world and also home to those who like a gamble.
Old Trafford bosses went all in on Erik ten Hag – and lost.
Those same people then did the same with Ruben Amorim – and lost again.
And now it seems that Ratcliffe and Co are on the brink of having blown all their chips on Carrick as well.
If a change is made this week, it would be the third season in succession that United had backed a manager in the summer with transfer funds, then sacked said manager mid-season.
So those involved in this meeting of minds in Monaco should be pointing the finger of blame at one another.
A video shared on social media of Ratcliffe giving an interview to the BBC saw the billionaire discuss how a failed culture had been to blame for the club’s downfall in recent times.
A problem he has served to enhance since purchasing a stake in United at the start of 2024.
Ratcliffe thought he was playing his aces when appointing Ten Hag, Amorim and then Carrick.
But all three have turned out to be jokers. And this is on Ratcliffe and his fellow executives.
Manchester City might have cheated their way to the championship, but United are now so bad on the field that they are earning their place in the Championship.
The real issues at Old Trafford lie above Carrick.
He might be one of United’s favourite sons, but this should not leave him exempt from criticism or dismissal.
Yet those who get to make that choice remain immune from being held accountable for their own damaging shortcomings.
And these are the same blokes who will now have to decide who is the best bet to bring past glories back to the red half of Manchester.
If former Red Devils midfielder Carrick is sacked today, whoever accepts the poisoned chalice of a job, which is now a career wrecker, remains to be seen.
But if Pochettino is willing, he might just also be able to fix some of the problems.
He has won trophies, knows English football inside out after successful spells with Southampton, Spurs and Chelsea and is capable of creating that identity and winning culture United no longer posses.
He also has a strong track record of nurturing young talent, like he did with Harry Kane and Dele Alli at Spurs, who he led to the Champions League final.
He ticks a lot of boxes – but do United’s failing owners have the wit to work this out for themselves?
No one is holding their breath.
