Crunch time: Carrick’s entire future now depends on how he deals with Newcastle setback – opinion

A shocking second-half performance saw Manchester United succumb to a 1-2 defeat at the hands of 10-man Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Wednesday. This was the Red Devils’ first loss under Michael Carrick, as they wasted their shot at taking a three-point lead over Aston Villa, who remained in fourth following their loss earlier in the evening. An exciting first half saw the Magpies go a man down after Jacob Ramsey was shown a second yellow for simulation inside the box. They subsequently took the lead from a penalty conceded by Bruno Fernandes, but the visitors equalised at the stroke of half-time through Casemiro. Players looked complacent in shocking second-half display At half-time, United fans must have been confident of scoring at least one more goal given their man advantage. But it was among the team’s worst performances this season, with none of the players showing any impetus to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. If United’s overpaid players are allowing complacency to creep into their game following a string of decent results, they needed a wake-up call, and Eddie Howe’s team certainly provided that. Most players simply did not look fit enough to carry on, and despite his goal, Casemiro struggled throughout. As did his midfield partner, Kobbie Mainoo. Poor squad With hardly any energy in the midfield, it was the hosts who looked more dangerous. A cursory look at United’s matchday squad will show what a frail bunch the caretaker head coach is working with. No quality options in midfield, four defenders out injured, and no out-and-out wingers available. Ruben Amorim decimated the squad with his recruitment and Carrick is having to pay the price. The former midfielder was not devoid of blame either. His call to start Bryan Mbeumo over Amad also backfired with the Cameroonian struggling to stitch two passes together. Sunday’s game against Aston Villa has taken on added significance. The 20-time English league champions simply cannot afford to lose out on Champions League football for next season. Michael Carrick needs to prove his mettle Carrick and the rest of the team need to take a good, hard look at themselves. They certainly let down the fans tonight. How Michael Carrick deals with this setback and how he motivates the team moving forward will go a long way in defining whether indeed INEOS should be trusting him in the long run. Feature image George Wood via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25