Manchester United set deadline for Michael Carrick — Cesc Fabregas emerges as top candidate
Reports say the club wants results by the international break; Como’s Cesc Fabregas is a leading candidate favored by Jim Ratcliffe.
Manchester United have given Michael Carrick a short window to improve a faltering start to the season after five matches produced just one win, two draws and two defeats, leaving the club 12th in the Premier League with five points.
Reports from inside the club say United’s hierarchy have lost patience and set a deadline for Carrick to consolidate results by the next international break, which falls at the beginning of November.
Among the names being discussed as potential successors, Como head coach Cesc Fabregas is said to be at the top of the list — and reportedly the favourite of owner Jim Ratcliffe. Fabregas has impressed since taking charge at Como, but it is unclear whether he would accept a call to manage a club of Manchester United’s size.
The situation remains largely in the realm of speculation, but time is short: United are scheduled to face Fabregas’s Como in the Champions League on 21 October, and that meeting will add a further twist if links to the Spaniard persist.
Fixtures before the break
Before the next international pause United will play Tottenham, Leeds, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Atletico Madrid, Como and Roma in the Champions League. The first match after the international break is an away trip to Liverpool.
If results do not improve by early November, the club’s board could move quickly — though at this stage the talk about Fabregas is just one of several names under consideration.
Photo: press material from the event
