Manchester United manager Michael Carrick says he is genuinely eager for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Roma at Old Trafford, even though his team enters the match on a nine-game run without a victory in all competitions. According to BBC, that sequence is United's longest since the 1988-89 campaign, and the club has not gone ten matches without a win within a single season since 1977-78.
The BBC report adds that sentiment is building that Carrick could be dismissed during the upcoming international break. United sit 17th in the Premier League and are 21st in the Champions League table after three matches, having lost to Atletico Madrid and Como; only the top 24 sides advance.
Why it matters
The Roma fixture arrives at a point where results and the manager's future are being discussed in the same breath. A win would not erase United's league position, but it would interrupt a slide that has become the club's worst in decades and give Carrick's tenure a result to point to. A defeat would intensify scrutiny heading into a break in the calendar when clubs typically make decisions about coaching staff.
Carrick, for his part, framed the match as an opportunity rather than a threat. "You might think I'm crazy with the results we've had and what's going on, but genuinely, I really can't wait for the game," he said, per BBC. He added that he cannot predict what lies ahead, but that uncertainty has not altered his frame of mind, and he wants Tuesday to be "a big night."
A difficult backdrop, and a formidable opponent
Roma arrive in strong form. According to BBC, their only loss this season came at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, a game in which they held a 3-1 lead with seven minutes remaining. That detail alone suggests United will face a side capable of controlling long stretches against elite opposition.
The BBC report also noted the historical weight of United's current position. The club was last relegated in 1973-74, and it has not been in the relegation zone after nine or more league games since November 1986, when it took one point from Alex Ferguson's first two matches following Ron Atkinson's dismissal. Since then, its lowest standing at that stage of a season was 17th in 1989-90; the BBC adds that United were 16th under Ruben Amorim after 37 games of the 2024-25 campaign.
Within the squad, the mood has been a subject of external debate. BBC reported that striker Bryan Mbeumo and midfielder Carlos Baleba were especially vocal, and that Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez remained fully involved despite the red card at Chelsea that drew a strongly negative reaction. Some have called for Martinez to be left out against Roma. Carrick responded with a measured view, saying that people make decisions and mistakes, and that sometimes things go in your favour.
He also rejected any suggestion that Martinez or the wider group lacks commitment. "They can make things look all sorts of different ways. The dressing room is a good place," Carrick said, per BBC, adding that he does not doubt the players' dedication to the club, to him or to one another. He conceded that performances and decisions must improve, but insisted commitment is not the issue.
Mainoo points to experience and responsibility
England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo joined Carrick at the media conference and offered a player's perspective on the club's troubles. BBC reported that Mainoo had missed four matches with a muscular problem before returning as a second-half substitute at Chelsea.
At 21, Mainoo is among the youngest members of the squad, yet he is also its longest-serving, having arrived at United at the age of seven. He described a career at Old Trafford as inevitably containing highs and lows, saying the path to the top is rarely straightforward and that setbacks should be expected.
Mainoo acknowledged the season has been hard and that results have fallen short of expectations, but said he believes one victory could shift the trajectory. He also said the club's current league position is not acceptable for an institution of United's stature, and spoke of carrying responsibility for passing on the values he absorbed while rising through the academy.
His comments reflect a dressing room that, at least publicly, is presenting a united front as the pressure mounts around its manager. Whether that translates into a performance against Roma is the question Tuesday will answer.
Carrick's own language suggested he is treating the fixture as a reset rather than a reckoning. He declined to speculate about his future, noting only that events will unfold as they will. The BBC report makes clear that the wider expectation is that his position will be reviewed during the international break, which makes the Roma match a significant marker regardless of the result.
For United, the immediate task is practical: end a winless stretch that has stretched across nine matches and produced a league placing of 17th and a Champions League rank of 21st. For Roma, the trip to Old Trafford is a chance to build on a season in which they have lost only once, and that defeat came in unusual circumstances against Real Madrid.
Watch whether Carrick keeps faith with Martinez after his Chelsea dismissal, and whether Mainoo's return to fitness earns him a larger role. The result at Old Trafford, and the club's stance during the international break that follows, will shape the next chapter of United's season.
