When Manchester United travel to meet Leeds this weekend, they will find themselves in an uncomfortably familiar situation as they were in last time they faced such a trip.
Sitting 13th in the Premier League table, it’s been a very rocky start to the season for the Red Devils, who over the summer hired Michael Carrick as permanent manager, converting him from the interim tag he had been operating on for months.
Carrick’s side was exceptional last season, with just Premier League play to navigate, as they secured a third-place finish in the league table and the Champions League berth that came with it. However, the form has reversed since the new season began, and they have just one win through the first six league matches and were dumped from the EFL Cup in the third round as well.
Now, the manager is again under pressure as they visit Leeds, just as Ruben Amorim was back in January, a trip which proved to be his last as United boss.
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Last time Man Utd visited Elland Road
Manchester United’s most recent visit to Leeds in the Premier League was not an enjoyable afternoon.
The Red Devils played to a 1-1 draw, with American forward Brenden Aaronson finding the net for Leeds in the 62nd minute, cancelled out by Matheus Cunha’s equaliser three minutes later. While that result in and of itself would not have been a death sentence in a vacuum, it also followed a disappointing draw with relegation-threatened Wolves at home, leaving the club sixth in the Premier League table, their Champions League qualification in jeopardy.
However, the match is most memorable for what happened after, as United boss Ruben Amorim made a point to declare that he was hired as manager not head coach, calling out the front office for failing at their jobs and demanding more power within the club hierarchy.
It did not go well for the 40-year-old, as he was dismissed the following day, with those comments being the last straw. Michael Carrick was installed as interim manager, and he led the club to a third-place finish, suffering just two defeats in league play the rest of the way.
Will Michael Carrick be sacked if Man Utd lose to Leeds?
While there’s no certainty of any outcome, an adverse result against Leeds this weekend could ramp up the already increasing pressure even further on Michael Carrick at United.
He has won just once in six league games so far this season, beating newly-promoted Ipswich Town by a 5-2 score back in late August. Since then, they have drawn three and lost one, with the defeat coming in the hugely important Manchester derby back in September.
After a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on the road in Champions League play midweek, and Lisandro Martinez’s subsequent inflammatory comments pointed at the club executive structure, cracks are beginning to appear in the United dressing room, and it’s hard to imagine Carrick could survive another negative result — draw or defeat — against a club of lower stature.
