Man Utd need to sack Michael Carrick after Bournemouth but buck can’t stop with him – Jason Wilcox must go as well

MANCHESTER UNITED supporters know the manager has to go but the buck cannot stop with Michael Carrick. United matchgoers have booed the manager before. On Sunday, they turned on the players as soon as Carrick disappeared down the tunnel. Diogo Dalot had dozily lingered longer on the pitch than teammates, so was the last player left on it. The boos grew louder for a United player who has outstayed his welcome. United have lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth three times within three years under three different managers. That is ample evidence that Carrick cannot be the only one who goes. There was gallows humour on the Stretford End as they told Sir Jim Ratcliffe to shove his new stadium up his backside. There were sinister songs about kissing Ratcliffe and the Glazers on a bonfire. Ousting the Glazers is wishful thinking but jettisoning director of football Jason Wilcox is not just doable but advisable. READ MORE ON MAN UNITED Ratcliffe said last year he would not have “tolerated” Ed Woodward. Wilcox has mimicked Woodward by promoting a former player from interim to permanent head coach only for United to spiral. It has been sooner and more spectacular than under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Carrick is cut from the same cloth as his colleague and friend, who was also in the running to replace Ruben Amorim in January. That Wilcox considered Solskjaer was a red flag. Wilcox’s treatment of Amorim in their infamous Wolves debrief last season convinced the Portuguese to engineer his own sacking. Wilcox does not control the purse strings but he has made dire decisions, dodges questions and was underqualified for the DoF role he was promoted to in June 2025. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Man Utd ratings vs Bournemouth MANCHESTER United hit a new low for the season, if that's possible, with the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick stuck Bruno Fernandes on the bench – supposedly for ‘football reasons only’ – and kept him there for the whole game. So how did those who did play get on – and were there any shining lights on another stormy afternoon in Manchester? Find out how SunSport’s Katherine Walsh rated and slated United’s flops right here. His past with Leeds United and Manchester City makes him an easy target. An image of Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada was captioned “Agent Leeds and Agent Sham,” the latter a reference to Berrada’s 14 years at City. In this era where managers or coaches answer to sporting directors, it can’t be just Carrick’s head who rolls. Wilcox is at United on the strength of his time as Berrada’s colleague at City. Jobs for the boys. Carrick went past the point of no return last month. United did not have the courage to dismiss him during the elongated international break. The heat was turned up on City amid their guilty verdict, so those upstairs at United crossed their fingers and covered their own backsides. They have since had them spanked by Atletico Madrid, Como and Bournemouth.