United stars feel they have “let Carrick down” with their recent slump in form, the reason for this will not please fans – report

Manchester United’s loss to Newcastle on Wednesday ended the team’s unbeaten run under Michael Carrick. The fact that it came despite the Magpies having to play more than one half with 10 men made it a bitter pill to swallow. However, fans knew such a day was coming based on the Red Devils’ performances in the last few gameweeks. They failed to beat West Ham away from home, only managing to snatch a last-minute draw thanks to Benjamin Sesko’s heroics. United’s slump in form It was an equally poor performance against Everton, again settled by a brilliant counter-attacking goal scored by the Slovenian. The 20-time English league champions also managed to see off Crystal Palace, but not before one of their players saw a red card in the second half. That luck eventually ran out at St. James’ Park. These recent displays are a far cry from the way the team performed when Carrick first arrived, as they annihilated Manchester City, and also defeated league leaders Arsenal in successive weeks. According to The Sun, United’s overpaid and underperforming stars feel they have let the caretaker head coach down. Players have let Carrick down And the reason for their recent slump in form? A lack of games, which has meant the players have started matches too sluggishly. “MANCHESTER UNITED stars believe they have let manager Michael Carrick down with their recent displays — and are blaming slow starts on a lack of games.” A source told the publication, “The players feel like they let the manager down with the way they played. They think the big gaps between games are hurting them and making them struggle to start properly. It’s something they are aware of and want to change.” The lack of games is due to last season’s horror show, which meant the club missed out on any sort of European football. United need to deal with lack of games Also, United lost early in both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, reducing the number of games this season to a mere 40. These long gaps are expected to continue. United return to action on March 15, when they take on Aston Villa, in a match that has taken on added significance in the race for Champions League football. They play five days later, against Bournemouth away from home, before another 20-day gap. Then they return to action against Leeds on April 14. Yes, not playing as often as opponents can result in a lack of match sharpness, but that cannot be an excuse for professional players. The United squad will need to find a way to cope with this if they want Carrick to stay on as permanent boss. INEOS are already searching for alternatives, with Roberto De Zerbi leading the list. 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