Unemployed manager spotted at Old Trafford

Can’t help but notice that Manchester United manager Michael Carrick seems worried. – And with good reason.

Manchester United’s start to the season went from bad to worse when they lost 3-2 to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford in the third round of the EFL Cup.

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Manchester United looked to be heading into the last eight after goals in the first ten minutes from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount gave them a 2-0 lead. But they conceded a goal from Charalampos Kostoulas just before half-time.

If Red Devils fans were expecting a positive reaction from their players in the second half, they were sadly wrong. Several goals from Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper ensured that the visitors came back from a two-goal deficit and won 3-2 – on a historic night for the south beach club.

The final whistle was met with many boos from Old Trafford fans, who have now seen their team lose three of their first six games in all competitions. They have won two games they expected to win at home – against Ipswich Town and Sabah.

It was the right decision to give Michael Carrick the job permanently at the end of last season, following an impressive run of form from January to May, during which no Premier League team was better than them during that period.

But there is no way around the fact that right now they look more like the teams that struggled under Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag in the past.

Manchester United’s start to the season:

It’s unclear how much pressure on Carrick already is, but he knows he needs a positive result against Fulham at Craven Cottage this weekend – with a three-week international break following the game.

It is the perfect opportunity for United management to consider alternative managerial options, as Antonio Conte is already described in Italian reports as the club’s first choice if they decide to sack the 45-year-old.

Kieran McKenna seen at Old Trafford

Kieran McKenna shocked the football world when he stepped down as manager of Ipswich Town on June 10 – just weeks after he led the club to an immediate return to the Premier League.

The 40-year-old manager said it was the right time for him to retire and devote some time to his family, with Gary O’Neill eventually replacing him at Portman Road.

In the first weeks of the season, McKenna has been spotted in Premier League stadiums across the country, and he sat in the director’s box at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, according to BBC journalist Simon Stone.

Of course, the manager has ties to the Red Devils, having assisted José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at the club between 2018 and 2021.

His presence in the game against Brighton may be coincidental, but he is a manager who has previously been linked with the United job – and is likely to be on the list of candidates if there is a change in the next few weeks.

Kieran McKenna’s stats at Ipswich:

It was said that Ipswich considered McKenna to be a “world-class” managerial talent during his time at East Anglia, although he failed to keep the club in the Premier League at the first attempt.

Should Manchester United lose again to Fulham at the weekend, the club bosses will have a big decision to make.

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