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Managerial chaos, knocked out of the FA Cup and a hacked social media account – Manchester United’s week from hell
Surely sacking the manager who was supposed to restore Manchester United to its former glory would not result in the club sinking any lower.
In the now much-quoted words of Mick McCarthy, ‘It can’.
After Ruben Amorim was relieved of managerial his duties last week, you would think it would serve as a reset, instead, further chaos has ensued both on and off the pitch this past week, and for the United faithful, they will be wanting this season to come to an end as quickly as possible.
No system in place to choose next United manager
The sacking of Amorim had been coming for some time, but surely if it was on the cards, you would think Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s army of football operations staff, including CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox, would have a process already underway to find a new manager.
Instead, it’s an interim managerial merry-go-round. First up, former player Darren Fletcher. His record stands at one draw and one loss. But if rumours are to be believed, he will be replaced shortly by former teammate Michael Carrick after the pursuit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went cold.
At this point, it is loyalty which is luring Carrick back to Old Trafford. After seeing, hearing and reading about the chaos coming out of the club, any sane manager would look to avoid the Red Devils like the plague.
However, for the likes of Carrick and Fletcher, it’s a chance to try and give back to the club which gave them so much, and they have a direct line of communication with Sir Alex Ferguson, something which has been mocked by the footballing public.
Berrada and Wilcox, both former employees at cross-town rivals Manchester City, were brought in to take the club forward and make it into a modern footballing superpower.
But with no definite date or deadline for when a permanent manager will be in place, it feels like the club has gone backwards, and if Berrada and Wilcox get this next appointment wrong, then they will find themselves on Ratcliffe’s chopping block.
FA Cup loss to Brighton brings more misery on United’s season
With no European football this season, the only joy United were looking to get this season was through the domestic cup competitions.
An embarrassing second-round exit in the League Cup to Grimsby Town in August meant all hopes rested on the FA Cup for some silverware and those were extinguished at the first possible opportunity in the third round.
A 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday, with former Red Devils striker Danny Welbeck on the scoresheet, has given this United squad the unwanted stat of exiting both cup competitions at the earliest point for the first time in 44 years.
Getty Images
For the fans, frustration is evident with a ‘Jim can’t fix this’ banner becoming commonplace, and they are right, there does not seem to be a fix on the horizon.
The sole focus will now be on securing Champions League football, and while United have been poor, they only sit three points away from fourth, so returning to European club football’s top competition is still a realistic possibility.
However, if this downward trend continues in what is a very competitive Premier League this season, then those passports may need to be put away for the next campaign.
Captain Bruno Fernandes’ X account hacked
Bruno Fernandes’ return from injury was not enough to inspire United to get past Brighton, but to make matters worse, his account on social media site X (formerly Twitter) was hacked.
A post reading “Let’s get rid of INEOS” were among those which prompted United’s official X account stating that their captain’s profile had been hacked, but the damage was already done.
At a time when United need to find some form of positivity, however small it may be, this incident rounded off what has been a hellish week for one of football’s biggest clubs.
- Read next | Six candidates who could be the new Manchester United manager after Ruben Amorim is sacked by club
As the boardroom tries to hold itself together, and the team struggles to deliver on the pitch, a lot of work needs to be done to United.
The best way to go about it is unclear. It feels like those at the top cannot decide how they want their manager to function.
Yes, the modern way is for other voices to influence the manager’s thinking when it comes to various matters such as signings, but that is not how United found success. Sometimes it works best if one man calls the shots.
Unfortunately, with all the infrastructure in place, the likes of Berrada and Wilcox will wield plenty of influence, but if they want to avoid weeks such as this on a regular basis, then this next chapter of United’s Ratcliffe era needs to be one of patience and where the right decisions are made.
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