Manchester United have kept faith in Michael Carrick despite intense pressure on the boss following a dismal set of results, but the problems at Old Trafford go much deeper

Just as the clocks go back every autumn you can almost set your watch by the annual Manchester United crisis.

Whether it's a Halloween scare show, fireworks of the wrong kind, or a winter of discontent, this time of year is usually when the wheels to come off at United.

Two years ago today, Erik ten Hag, just a matter of months after being handed a new contract following the FA Cup final win over Manchester City, lost his job following a defeat to West Ham which left United 14th in the Premier League with three wins from nine matches.

Twelve months later the vultures were circling around the Dutchman's replacement Ruben Amorim in November when United lost 1-0 at home to an Everton side who had played nearly 80 minutes with 10 men after Idrissa Gueye was dismissed for hitting his own teammate Michael Keane.

Amorim muddled through until the January before seemingly making it his New Year's resolution to get the boot, which came at Elland Road after an incredible post-match press conference rant.

That brought Michael Carrick in on an interim basis and a stunning set of results hauled United into the Champions League and earned the Old Trafford hero a two-year contract.

United ended last season with five wins from their final six matches and Carrick was taking the adulation of the Old Trafford crowd after the final home game of the 2025-26 campaign when he made a speech on the pitch thanking the staff and what he called 'such a good group of players.'

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Fast forward a few months and Carrick was taking the applause again on Sunday as he left the pitch but the circumstances were drastically different. The home fans wanted to show their support for a boss who is quite clearly not the biggest problem at a club that, as the nights draw in again, is once again in a dark place.

The ire after the limp 3-0 home reverse to Bournemouth was directed at a squad who have produced woeful performances on the pitch so far this season, while senior players Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes have between them taken pot shots at the club, the tactics, Carrick and Technical Director Jason Wilcox in the media.

It felt inevitable that this week would be the end of the road for Carrick, but after a day of dithering while Wilcox, Omar Berrada and presumably Sir Jim Ratcliffe discussed the options, news came on Tuesday that Carrick is continuing. For now.

The boss watched United's academy play on Monday and came into training on Tuesday with no external clarity on his position. The delay in confirming the status quo raises further questions over the football decisions being taken in the corridors of power at Old Trafford. Are they convinced Carrick is the right man? Will this end with the boss being axed anyway during the November break which comes in three games' time? Is there a long-term plan at a club which is a shadow of what it once was?

There are parallels with the decision to turn Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's temporary job into a permanent one and the Ten Hag situation where a new contract was followed a matter of months later by a P45.

What happens next at Old Trafford is anyone's guess. The only certainty seems to be that however it plays out, it will be messy.