Insider Henry Winter believes that Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez could contribute to Michael Carrick's potential sacking from Manchester United. The team has suffered three consecutive defeats and has dropped to 17th place in the league table.
The journalist suggested on talkSPORT that the Mancunian manager could lose his job during the upcoming international break.
"You go into a game against Roma. You are preparing for it. The irony is that it was probably one of his best performances as a Manchester United player. He scored twice, and he was fantastic. Then he limps into the Aston Villa game and probably loses his job during the international break.
We know what international breaks mean for coaches; if they are having a tough time, it gives the club the opportunity and time to find someone else. There is also the risk that if the current manager remains during the break and the clouds gather above him, it is for those players who go off on international duty. You know what we journalists are like. I can imagine Portuguese journalists before the matches against Denmark and Wales and Argentinians before Uruguay and Costa Rica. They will be speaking to Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez and asking: what do you think about Carrick? And, of course, the headlines coming from these and other camps will be pretty stark.
So I think at some point, the club will make a decision on Michael Carrick, and then all this circus will continue with another coach until you sort out the owners.
However, Winter is confident that sacking the manager will not solve the club's broader structural issues.
"This squad needs a massive clear-out. And Michael Carrick is not to blame for starting the season when he needed a left-back and a striker, and he was given three midfielders, two of whom probably aren't up to the required level. I have no complaints about Carlos Baleba, even though he got caught out. It's not Carrick's fault that Amad Diallo missed those chances. It's not Michael Carrick's fault that Lisandro Martinez behaved how he did. It's not Michael Carrick's fault that three experienced players let Morgan Rogers fly straight through them. So listen, you can get rid of the coach, but you won't get rid of the overall problem.
