Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is facing pressure on his position after his side were thrashed 4-1 by Italian club Como 1907 in the Champions League. According to England's Telegraph, the club are considering Julian Nagelsmann as a possible successor.
Nagelsmann has been without a club since his exit as Germany head coach following a disappointing World Cup this past summer. Around two years after leading Germany to a successful home European Championship, the 39-year-old saw his side go out in the round of 32 on penalties to Paraguay.
Speculation over a return to club management for Nagelsmann began shortly after his Germany departure. He had previously had spells at Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim. A few weeks ago he was linked with a return to Leipzig as a replacement for the under-pressure Martin Demichelis, but Red Bull's new head of global soccer, Roger Schmidt, played down that talk, saying: "That's quite normal in this business nowadays. You have to keep dealing with these issues when you lose one or two games. We're a long way from that." Demichelis has since bought himself time with a 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, but the Telegraph reports a new opportunity may now have opened for Nagelsmann at Manchester United.
Nagelsmann had already been linked with a Premier League move after his departure from Bayern Munich in March 2023.
Reaction to the Como defeat
The Guardian described Manchester United's loss in Como as a "shameful defeat", while the Telegraph called it "the kind of performance that costs a manager his job", adding that the club looked "fundamentally broken". United have now gone seven competitive matches without a win.
Captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised his manager's tactics after the match. Como coach Cesc Fabregas also suggested his side could have inflicted an even heavier defeat, saying: "I perhaps regret the last ten minutes, when I was the one who told the team to slow the tempo because there's another game coming up and, at 4-0, you might still be able to achieve something." He added: "I told Tassos Douvikas to stop running and stay in the middle, and perhaps that's exactly what I regret." Fabregas continued: "I'm the one who always pushes to keep trying until the end, and conceding that goal left me with a bad feeling. It happened because we reduced our intensity and our defending, but that was my fault, and I take it to heart."
Carrick kept his own response brief afterwards. "There's a lot to do before the next game, and we have to prepare the team for it," he said, looking ahead to Sunday's league match against AFC Bournemouth. "Because tonight was a difficult night for everyone."
Manchester United's season so far
Manchester United have taken seven points from seven matches and sit 13th in the table, with qualification for European competition slipping away. In the Champions League they have one win and two defeats, leaving them on course for the play-offs.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, Manchester United have had eight different permanent managers, including Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ralf Rangnick.
