Fabrizio Romano: Manchester United 'Have Not Contacted' Any Carrick Replacements
- 🔑 Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday 28 September 2026 that Manchester United have made no contact with any potential replacement coaches for Michael Carrick, calling the situation around his job “completely quiet” for now, with the club still backing him despite a difficult start to the season.
- As of the September international break, Manchester United sat 12th in the Premier League with five points from five matches, one win, two draws and two losses, after a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday 13 September 2026 and a League Cup exit to Brighton on Wednesday 16 September 2026.
- Romano said Manchester United “maintain their confidence in Michael Carrick as a club” and that the large majority of players are backing his methods, while also noting that results are still needed to make his position sustainable long-term.
- Reports of a roughly £8.8 million compensation figure to end Carrick’s contract, and speculation linking Antonio Conte or Fabian Hurzeler to the job, come from separate press reports rather than Romano’s own confirmed reporting, and remain unverified.
- Carrick, appointed permanent head coach in May 2026 on a contract to 2028 after returning to the club in January 2026, has brought Marcus Rashford back into regular first-team involvement following his loan spell at Barcelona.
- No betting odds, sack probabilities, or win-probability models of any kind are used anywhere in this article; Carrick’s job security is reported strictly on confirmed public statements from Romano and the club, not on prediction or speculation about what United will ultimately decide.
No — as of Monday 28 September 2026, Manchester United have not made contact with any potential replacement coaches for Michael Carrick, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. Speaking during the September international break, Romano described the situation around Carrick’s future as “completely quiet” for now, even as United sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table after a rocky start to the 2026-27 season. Here is exactly what has been confirmed, and what is still just speculation.
What did Fabrizio Romano actually say about Michael Carrick’s future?
Romano’s own reporting is narrow and specific: Manchester United have made no approach to any coach as a potential Carrick replacement. In a video update on Monday 28 September 2026, Romano said: “My answer is clear, guys. As of today, Manchester United have not made any movement to contact other coaches.” He added that the club is “not in direct conversation with coaches or with their representatives,” calling the situation “completely quiet” and saying he expects it to stay that way “for the next weeks and, they hope, months.” Romano also said United “maintain their confidence in Michael Carrick as a club,” while acknowledging that results still matter, since football is “in the results business.”
Why is Michael Carrick under pressure right now?
Carrick is facing scrutiny because Manchester United have managed just one win in their opening five Premier League games of 2026-27. As of the international break in late September 2026, United sat 12th in the table with five points from five matches — one win, two draws and two losses, with as many goals scored as conceded. The run has included a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby on Sunday 13 September 2026, and a League Cup exit at Old Trafford to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 16 September 2026, where United led 2-0 before losing 3-2.
| Opponent | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Man City (H) | Premier League | Lost 0-1 |
| Brighton (H) | League Cup | Lost 2-3 |
| Fulham (A) | Premier League | Drew 1-1 |
Has Manchester United’s board actually decided anything about Carrick’s job?
Based on what has been confirmed, no decision to remove Carrick has been made, and reporting from multiple sources says the club currently has no plans to sack him. Romano’s own account is that United’s leadership remains behind Carrick for now, drawing a contrast with previous managerial departures at the club. Other reporting from around the same period suggests the club is not looking to make a swift change during the international break, and that a further period of patience is expected while the squad settles. None of this amounts to a guarantee about what happens if results fail to improve — only that, as of late September 2026, no process to replace Carrick had begun.
What about reports linking Antonio Conte or Fabian Hurzeler to the job?
Those names are circulating in press speculation, not in anything Romano or the club has confirmed. Separate reports, distinct from Romano’s own reporting, have floated out-of-work former Premier League manager Antonio Conte and Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler as names mentioned in connection with a possible future vacancy. On Hurzeler specifically, other reporting says Brighton have shown no willingness to let him leave, pointing to a new contract running to 2029 that he signed earlier in 2026. On Conte, separate reporting says no direct contact has taken place. Both remain unconfirmed, secondary reports rather than anything stated as fact by Romano or by Manchester United.
Is it true United would have to pay £8.8 million to remove Carrick?
A reported figure of around £8.8 million to terminate Carrick’s contract has circulated in press reports, but it is not a number Romano himself has confirmed. That compensation estimate comes from separate weekend reporting rather than Romano’s coverage, and neither Romano nor the club has verified it publicly. It is worth treating it as an unconfirmed estimate rather than an official figure unless a primary source — the club itself, or Romano’s own reporting — puts a number on it.
What has gone right for Carrick since he took permanent charge?
Beyond the results, Carrick is credited with keeping the dressing room on side, including bringing Marcus Rashford back into regular first-team involvement. Rashford, who spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Barcelona, has started consecutive Premier League matches under Carrick this season. Romano has drawn a contrast between Carrick’s situation and that of some predecessors, saying the large majority of United’s players are “absolutely backing and supporting the ideas of Michael Carrick” — a dynamic separate reporting suggests was not always true of the club’s recent managerial regimes. Carrick was appointed permanent head coach in May 2026 on a contract running to 2028, having first returned to the club in January 2026.
What happens next for Carrick and Manchester United?
The next marker will be results on the pitch, not further speculation: how United perform when Premier League fixtures resume after the international break will shape whatever comes next. Romano’s own framing is that the club wants, and currently expects, the situation to “stay quiet” through the coming weeks and months, provided results move in the right direction. Nothing reported so far commits United to a specific timeline or trigger point for any change, and nothing here should be read as a prediction of what the club will ultimately decide.
Carrick’s situation is a live one, and it could look different by the time United play their next few Premier League matches. We will be watching how it develops, and if the picture changes, so will this article.