Gary Neville 'absolutely certain' Michael Carrick would be sacked as Man United hope revealed

Neville expressed surprise that United backed Carrick despite expecting his sacking after the 3-0 Bournemouth loss; the club has given him more time ahead of Chelsea.

Gary Neville told Sky Sports he was shocked Manchester United decided to retain Michael Carrick as head coach following Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Neville had been certain the result would end Carrick's tenure, noting the manager's demeanor during his post-match lap suggested a farewell. "I was absolutely certain what I witnessed on Sunday would be the end of Michael," Neville said. "It looked like when he was walking around at the end on his own, with his players behind him, that it was a goodbye lap."

Carrick survived emergency talks at Carrington on Monday and returned to lead training on Tuesday. United sit 16th in the Premier League with just seven points from eight matches—their worst start since 1986/87—and have won only two of 12 fixtures across all competitions. The club explored replacements including Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte but opted to persevere. Carrick acknowledged the difficulty of his position but said he remains committed to the club. United face Chelsea in a crucial Premier League clash this weekend.