Man United are stuck with their underperforming players no matter who's manager

Manchester United can sack Michael Carrick, but that will not fix the problem. The players who let him down against Bournemouth will still be there for whoever comes next, and the club is now staring at a relegation fight rather than a race for Europe.

The 3-0 home defeat on Sunday followed a 4-1 humiliation at Como in the Champions League. Carrick had spent Friday begging his squad to show they cared, and dropped captain Bruno Fernandes after his criticism of the game plan in Italy. Instead, United produced three basic errors and conceded three goals, leaving them 16th in the Premier League, one point above the drop zone, with one league win all season.

Each goal came from an individual mistake. Ayden Heaven gave the ball away and then lunged into a two-footed tackle to concede the free kick from which Rayan scored. Leny Yoro slipped after dithering on the ball, allowing Adrien Truffert to set up Marcus Tavernier. And goalkeeper Senne Lammens rushed out of his goal and was beaten by Evanilson's shot into an empty net.

Carrick, 45, admitted he does not know whether he will keep his job, and it would be a surprise if he is still in charge for the trip to Chelsea in six days. Another defeat there could leave United in the bottom three, with Aston Villa and Liverpool to follow. This was the third time in four seasons that Bournemouth have won 3-0 at Old Trafford, under three different managers.

Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte are among the names being linked with the job, but the deeper problem belongs to the players. United flirted with relegation in 2025 and finished 15th; now, sitting in the bottom three of the form table, they risk becoming the first United side in more than 50 years to drop into the second tier.