Carrick

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes root of team’s problems is Glazer family, urges them to sell-up.

Gary Neville says managers sometimes need to be dismissed “for their own good” as Manchester United persist with under-pressure boss Michael Carrick.

Carrick’s future at Old Trafford has been the subject of intense speculation after a miserable run of eight games without a win.

Sunday’s 3-0 humbling at home to Bournemouth left the English giants one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

United have won just two of 12 matches in all competitions this season, with a return of seven points from eight league games representing their worst start to a league season in 40 years.

But Carrick, 45, and a former United and England midfielder, remains in charge and is expected to give a pre-match news conference later on Thursday ahead of the team’s league match away to Chelsea on Saturday.

“I reckon what’s happened in the 24 hours after Bournemouth is that [the United hierarchy] literally debated  [Carrick’s future] back and forth,” former Manchester United captain Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast.

“I don’t know this, but they’ve debated it to the point where they’ve got themselves into a muddle, and thought, ‘we’ll just stay with him’.”

“I think staying with him is a result of the lack of planning, the lack of probably available options, the lack of decision-making around the two people that probably are available. That’s when you’re really struggling.”

Neville, a former United teammate of Carrick, added: “Sometimes a manager needs sacking for their own good. I needed sacking at Valencia. I was happy that they put me out of my misery.”

‘Enough is enough’

Both Eddie Howe, previously in charge of Newcastle, and former Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann have been touted as possible replacements for Carrick at Old Trafford.

Carrick, however, appears to have the backing of the United faithful, being warmly applauded by fans as he made his way down the tunnel following the defeat by Bournemouth.

Moments later a chorus of boos erupted as the players left the pitch, as supporters made clear where they think the blame lies for United’s current malaise.

Carrick was handed a two-year deal in May after inspiring an impressive revival following the team’s struggles under Ruben Amorim — United secured third place in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League.

The drastic decline this season is an all-too-familiar story for United supporters, who last witnessed a Premier League title triumph 13 years ago under Alex Ferguson.

Neville believes the root of United’s woes is majority owners the Glazer family, saying “enough is enough” as he urged them to sell up.

The Glazers took control of the club in a controversial takeover in 2005. They remain majority owners after selling a minority stake to British billionaire businessman Jim Ratcliffe in 2024.

Neville, a longstanding critic, reiterated his call for the United States-based family to sell.

“There’s 1.2 billion pounds [$1.6 billion] of debt in that football club, they’re hamstrung in some ways,” said Neville, adding: “You’ve got a failure of 13, 14 years on the football side, you’ve subbed it out to somebody else [Ratcliffe] which is ridiculous, and not took responsibility … Enough is enough, they have to sell the whole club.”

“The fans have had enough. They have to go now.”

United have gone eight games without a win as they head to Chelsea – their worst run of results since 2015-16.

Not since the 1988-89 campaign have they had a sequence of nine matches without a win.

Nearly 40 hours passed between United losing against Bournemouth on Sunday and the club providing clarification on Carrick’s future, with the Englishman being given a chance to turn things around at Old Trafford.

Talks involving the Glazer family, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox took place before Carrick’s immediate future was confirmed.

It seems likely he will remain in post for next Tuesday’s Champions League match against Roma, and the Premier League encounter with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November, after which there is a two-week international break.

Carrick, though, says he does not need guarantees over his position.

“I don’t need any assurances from anyone,” he said.

“I totally get the position. I understand the job. I understand the responsibilities. I understand what comes with that. So, I really don’t need any assurances from anyone in that regard.”

Asked if he was surprised to still be in a job, Carrick said: “No. I’m here to do my job. I’m here to do the best for the team, and I’m desperate to make us better and improve things. So, I’m not surprised, no.”

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann are emerging as early contenders to become the next Manchester United head coach if Michael Carrick loses his job.

Carrick’s position at Old Trafford is under major threat following the club’s poor start to the season, with work towards identifying his successor believed to be ongoing.

It is understood Howe and Nagelsmann both feature prominently on the list of candidates the club has explored to potentially replace him, and that both managers are aware of United’s interest.

Sources have also indicated Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is admired at United, but the fact he is under contract would complicate any move for the Spaniard.

Howe, Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte – who is interested in the job – are out of work, making their potential appointments easier.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that former Newcastle boss Howe is fully open to joining United if Carrick loses his job.

Nagelsmann is available after leaving his job as Germany head coach after the World Cup, while Conte – who has also been linked with Juventus – is open to returning to football after leaving Napoli in May.

Should Carrick be dismissed, the 20-time English top-flight champions will be looking to appoint their eighth permanent manager or head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson departed the club in 2013 on the back of winning their most recent title.

Here, BBC Sport takes a closer look at the contenders who could be up for the job.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick left the Old Trafford pitch on Sunday to the sound of his name being sung by the adoring home support, but he may never lead the team onto the field again.

His players followed him and the message delivered to them and the club captain Bruno Fernandes, who was an unused substitute, was quite different.

The 3-0 thumping by Bournemouth was a result that marked a 40-year low for the crisis club and plunged it to new depths – and the fans were determined to let United’s owners and playing staff know it.

The opening seven league matches marked United’s worst start since 1986. The latest defeat, their sixth of the season, leaves the club just a point above the relegation zone and without a win in eight matches in all competitions.

What has happened between Fernandes and Carrick?

Fernandes, the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Player of the Year last season, was left among the substitutes on Sunday as a result of criticising Carrick after Wednesday’s 4-1 humiliation at Como in the UEFA Champions League.

The Portuguese player has been the Red Devils’ darling since he arrived in 2020, and seemed to have sealed his place as a club legend in a time of darkness with his accolade achieved on the back of United’s third-place finish, which they have only twice bettered in 13 years.

The award came as a result of his record number of assists in a Premier League season – all the more impressive in a side that lacked a spark anywhere else on the pitch.

The upturn in fortunes under Carrick’s interim position last term, when he replaced Ruben Amorim in January, resulted in his full-time appointment in the summer.

A tenure that may now have run its course, with him and United’s best player seemingly at loggerheads.

How have fans reacted to the Premier League giant’s fall?

The United fans are famously loyal to their managers and players. Boos for anyone associated with the home side at Old Trafford were relatively unheard of until the last two seasons.

Now the boss receiving the adulation on exiting one of world football’s greatest stages – the Theatre of Dreams – may be the one on whom the curtain is being pulled.

Fernandes is no villain in this piece, but United’s fans have delivered a clear message directly to the heart of the dressing room – sending it via the player who could do no wrong in the eyes of the supporters will leave the ears of every member of the squad ringing.

Enough is enough.

Outplayed is one thing, but being outrun and outfought is another.

What is the context of Man United’s demise?

United’s history has been one of rebuilds and comebacks. They have known difficult days – their most successful manager Sir Alex Ferguson was on the verge of the sack in 1990 before winning the FA Cup and beginning one of the greatest runs of trophy-laden eras in football.

Their wait for a league title stretched from 1967 – and the Holy Trinity of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law – to 1994, when Ferguson’s inspired signing of Eric Cantona ignited glory days even the biggest club in the world at the time had never seen.

Now, United are on the edge of a precipice – quite literally if the gap to the drop zone is even to be realistically contemplated. Perhaps United’s cross-town rivals City won’t be the only Manchester club facing relegation this season.

That is demise no one is truly considering yet.

Is it a case of Carrick or Fernandes for Man United?

They are, however, at a crossroads – and the divide between Carrick and Fernandes – his captain, who criticised the tactics that stopped United pressing their Italian opponents in midweek, is likely to see the axe fall on the manager rather than a valuable asset.

“Manchester United need to make the change tonight (Sunday),” former England team-mate of Carrick, Jamie Carragher, told British broadcaster Sky Sports when asked if a sacking was needed.

“The fans have taken the side of the manager, which is not about him being the manager, it’s about him being a huge figure in United’s history – and those players have done nothing compared to teams of the past.

“So Carrick is always going to win that fight – and rightly so – with Fernandes, no matter how talented a player he is.

“But also United – one of the biggest clubs in the world – are 16th in the table right now and that can’t happen – it can’t continue and Carrick needs to be relieved of his duties.

“He wants to be sacked. It’s become untenable. He doesn’t want to be sat in the dugout with those players.

“Imagine going into training with Fernandes after not bringing him on? It’s a rancid dressing room. He wants to be put out of his misery.”

Gary Neville, former Manchester United defender and team-mate of Carrick’s for club and country, added: “Carrick is popular, but the owners, the sporting department and the players are not.

“They will probably make a decision that will disgust United fans, but it is probably necessary.

“The club is a mess.”

What has Carrick said amid rumours of the sack?

The final word of the day belongs to the man in the middle of a power battle that has seen him win the popular vote, but one that is unlikely to sway the United hierarchy.

“I take the responsibility,” Carrick said in the post-match news conference. “I totally understand the situation, I’m not expecting anything, I’m carrying on as normal and I love this place.”

In something of a reference to dropping the club captain and the response he received from the crowd at the end, Carrick continued: “I always do what I feel is going to be the best for the club, whatever decision is made.

“I’ve tried to do everything I can to not be in this position and for a number of reasons, whatever they are, we’ve not been able to stop that happening to the position we’re in.

“I’ve always felt that support and always felt that connection with the [fans].

“I have to say it is mixed emotions, I didn’t really expect that from the supporters. The respect that I have for them and for them to show that back meant an awful lot.”

Emotions are running high at Old Trafford and, even though Carrick denied it, his fanfare at the end may well prove to have been his farewell.

The Theatre of Dreams has become a house of horrors – for the 11th manager since Ferguson retired and with United’s last Premier League title now stretching back to 2013.

Manchester United’s 0-3 home loss to Bournemouth has left the 20-time champions winless in eight Premier League games.

Amid increasing pressure on his team and a growing threat to his own position as manager, Michael Carrick says he will do what is best for Manchester United after a 3-0 demolition by Bournemouth plunged his future into doubt.

Winless in eight games in all competitions, the 20-time English champions slipped to within one point of the relegation zone after a damaging defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday.

“It’s a tough situation,” Carrick told British broadcaster Sky Sports. “What is next? I don’t know.

“I’ll always do what’s best for this football club. I’ve said it all along; I don’t change that now. I love what I do. I love the responsibility, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Asked in a post-match news conference if he expects to be sacked in the coming days, Carrick replied: “I totally understand the situation. I’m not expecting anything in particular, to be honest. I’m carrying on as normal. I love this place.”

Despite a dismal run of results, the United fans largely supported the former midfielder as he made his way off the field at full-time before they turned on the club’s players.

“I have mixed emotions to have that connection with the supporters in the moment we’re in. I need time to digest that,” added Carrick.

“I appreciate their support but the situation is where it’s at. We haven’t been good enough.”

Carrick’s decision to drop captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench and not even introduce the Portuguese international as a substitute backfired.

Fernandes, last season’s Premier League player of the year, had criticised Carrick’s tactics after the 4-1 thrashing by Como on Wednesday.

Carrick said before the game that his call was a “pure football” decision, but it was hard to believe Fernandes was not being punished as he was left on the bench for the entire match.

“There’s always times in games when you are trying to change the course of the game and to make a difference,” said Carrick as he swerved questions on Fernandes’s absence. “Those were the decisions we made today.”

Carrick was appointed on a two-year deal only in May after a successful caretaker spell in charge led United to third place in the Premier League last season.

However, he has been unable to arrest the club’s steep decline since his former boss Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013.

United were outspent by many of their rivals in the transfer market as they added just three midfielders – Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba.

But Carrick said a lack of investment did not justify such a decline in results.

“Last season to finish third was a really good achievement in the circumstances,” added Carrick.

“We understood where that left us, what was next, what needed to be done and how we needed to improve, and where we were at as a team and as a group at that stage.

“I definitely knew that we hadn’t cracked it and there was a lot of work to be done, but that doesn’t mean to say that it should have gone this way.”

Manchester United make worst start to a season in 40 years, but Michael Carrick ‘confident’ ahead of Bournemouth game.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mounted an impassioned defence of ⁠⁠his leadership on Friday, accepting responsibility ⁠⁠for the club’s collapse in form and saying he remains convinced he can lead the team out of their current crisis.

Carrick’s position is under increasing pressure after United extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions with Wednesday’s humiliating 4-1 ⁠⁠Champions League defeat at Como leaving them 20th in the table with three points.

Before taking questions ahead of Sunday’s Premier League home game against Bournemouth, Carrick delivered an emotional opening statement, acknowledging supporters’ frustrations and the scale of the challenge facing him.

“Recently, we haven’t had a good time. I think that’s ⁠⁠pretty obvious. So I totally accept what we’re going through at the moment,” he said.

“We had five months of relative success [last season] in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things I was seeing and that we were doing as a team,” he said.

“We haven’t done well enough lately. We’ve had a spell that we’re really not happy with.”

Carrick described the loss in Italy as one of the most painful nights of his tenure.

“Wednesday was a bad ‌‌night. It was a bad night for a lot of reasons. It hurt a lot,” he said. “It obviously hurt me to see us play that way. As I said after the game, it was really unacceptable.”

The defeat intensified scrutiny of Carrick after captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to question United’s tactical approach in his post-match comments.

Dressing room cracks for Carrick after Fernandes outburst

Asked whether public criticism from players suggested cracks within the dressing room, Carrick rejected any suggestion the squad was split.

He also sidestepped questions over Fernandes’ future as captain and declined to reveal whether he had held talks with the Portugal midfielder following the defeat.

Instead, he stressed that his priority was restoring an identity that has disappeared from the side in recent weeks.

“My responsibility is to ⁠⁠get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters and they can be proud ⁠⁠of it with the identity that we show,” Carrick said.

“We have gone away from that just recently in certain games, which I’m fully aware of and definitely doing something about.”

He reserved special mention for United’s fans, many of whom travelled to Como only to watch their side suffer the heaviest defeat of his reign.

“The supporters are a huge part of this ⁠⁠football club. They have to make the effort and the time and money they spend, to feel how we all felt on Wednesday was a tough moment,” he said.

Carrick defiant as Man United form slides

Despite growing speculation about his future, Carrick struck a ⁠⁠defiant tone, saying he remained confident United could rediscover the energy and connection that characterised ⁠⁠last season’s performances.

He took over in January 2026 after the sacking of Ruben Amorim and oversaw a remarkable turnaround, steering United to a top-three finish and Champions League qualification.

“For [the fans] to feel like they felt for five months at the start of the year … is something we need to get back to. We will get back to it. I fully believe that,” said ‌‌Carrick.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is among the names linked with United’s managerial job, although the 57-year-old Italian said on Friday he had not had any negotiations “at an advanced stage” with any club.

Carrick acknowledged that United had lost their way but said responsibility rested squarely with him.

He ended ‌‌his ‌‌opening remarks by saying it was his duty to get the club back on course, describing his role as “holding the umbrella for me to get wet and everyone else to stay dry”.

United are 13th in the Premier League standings on seven points, while Bournemouth are a point behind them in 15th.

Michael Carrick is never short of advice around how he should do his job as head coach of Manchester United.

Few of his players divide opinion quite so much as skipper Bruno Fernandes.

So, it stands to reason there are a variety of views around whether Fernandes should be dropped for Sunday’s vital Premier League game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Former Everton and Rangers striker Duncan Ferguson has no doubts.

“It is a big problem for Michael,” he told The Overlap podcast. “Put people in the team you trust. Your captain has thrown you under the bus. If you don’t think he is playing for you, get him out. I wouldn’t pick him even though he is their best player.”

Joe Smith, respected host of Manchester United fan channel Stretford Paddock, is of the same opinion.

“I don’t think Fernandes should play on the weekend,” he said. “I don’t think (Lisandro) Martínez should’ve played against Leeds, because otherwise they’re running the ship here.”

United fans heading back on flights from Como to Manchester had a view, although much of it was wrapped up in their general thoughts about the club, most of which were negative.

But only one man’s opinion really counts. Carrick is the man who picks the team.

His friend and former team-mate Wayne Rooney has a view on that.

“When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart,” he said on the United Stand podcast.

“That was the start. We’ve seen it now with Bruno and you’re going to see it with more players because they don’t want to take responsibility.

“I was in that situation [as manager at Plymouth and Birmingham City] and if I was in Carrick’s position now, I’d come out fighting. There’s no more Mr Nice Guy.”

‘I have not given my own position any thought’, Carrick said after United’s 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League.

Michael Carrick has admitted that Manchester United were difficult to watch during an “unacceptable” 4-1 Champions League thrashing by Como, but insists he is not concerned about losing his job as manager.

The three-time European champions were outclassed by the Italian debutants at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Wednesday, as the embarrassing defeat extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions.

Carrick’s position has come under scrutiny amid United’s slump, which has included their worst start to a league season for 40 years, but he told a news conference that he was not fearing for his position.

“I have not given my own position any thought,” Carrick said.

The Old Trafford boss insisted that his apology to the travelling fans at the end of the game held no extra significance as pressure builds on his position.

“I always go over to the fans regardless,” Carrick said.

“It wasn’t a particularly different reason why I went over. I think it’s the appreciation and acknowledgement of what they have gone through and what they have done over a period of a few weeks now. But particularly tonight.”

‘It was tough to watch’

United fell behind within two minutes to a Nico Paz goal, becoming the first English team ever to concede in the opening two minutes of two consecutive major European matches, having gone behind one minute into a 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid last week.

Cesc Fabregas’s side romped into a deserved 4-0 lead in northern Italy before substitute Joshua Zirkzee pulled back a stoppage-time consolation and Carrick admitted he was alarmed by the manner in which his team were outplayed.

“For us to play in that way, it’s not acceptable,” he said. “It wasn’t a good performance at all. We wanted to build on what we brought and the performance we had at Leeds.

“That bit of intensity, that spirit, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything. Tonight was the total opposite performance. I have to say, it was tough to watch.”

“There’s a lot going through my mind, watching that,” he continued. “Genuinely, it’s difficult to understand how it can be so different [from the Leeds performance].

“It shouldn’t be like that. We can all play well, we can all have poor performances, but to do it in that manner is really not right at all.”

Next up for Carrick’s side is a home Premier League game against Bournemouth on Sunday.

“I’m frustrated, more than frustrated, I’m really angry, to be honest,” Carrick said.

“You’ve got to move on, you’ve got to deal with what’s next and see what that looks like. At this moment in time, there’s a lot to do before that next game to get the team ready because that was a difficult night for everyone tonight.”

Manchester United manager’s troubles grow as seven players are out injured before a Champions League trip to Como.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick says he needs no reassurances from the club’s hierarchy as he knows winning games is the only way to silence speculation over his future.

Before a Champions League trip to Italian side Como on Wednesday, United have won just two of their 10 games in all competitions this season.

The Red Devils are off to their worst start to an English top-flight campaign in 40 years, having been knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton last month and comfortably beaten by Atletico Madrid last week in the Champions League.

Carrick was appointed manager on a permanent basis in May only after an impressive spell as interim boss in the second half of last season.

But he has quickly become just the latest manager under pressure at Old Trafford at a club that has fallen from grace since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

“I know we’ve got to win football games for everything to flow and everything to fit into place. That’s the great thing about it; we can do something about it,” Carrick told his pre-match news conference in Italy.

“I don’t need any reassurance. It’s pretty clear.

“I know the role, I know the responsibilities. I don’t need anyone else to kind of tell me that or tell me when it’s going well or when it needs to be better. I know that myself.”

Carrick’s hopes of turning things around have not been aided by a growing injury list.

Lisandro Martinez started Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds, despite his stinging criticism of the club’s lack of transfer activity following the defeat at Atletico, but had to be replaced at half time.

The Argentinian international will miss the trip to Como, as will Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven.

To many observers, the Manchester United left-back situation was one that could have been anticipated and should have been addressed in the summer.

The fact United spoke to Manchester City about Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri on deadline day suggests they did view it as a potential issue.

After starting all 38 Premier League games last term and the first three this, Shaw has played only twice since, and the number of games missed could reach double figures before the 31-year-old returns.

When Diogo Dalot lined up at left-back against Leeds, he became the fifth different player to start there for United in six games.

Aside from Shaw, none of the quintet could be regarded as a natural left-back.

However, after it was suggested Martinez’s post-match outburst following the defeat by Atletico Madrid was partly down to 20-year-old Ayden Heaven playing at left-back, sources did point out the youngster played more often in that role than in the centre during his youth days at Arsenal.

It was also suggested in the summer that United’s coaching team did not believe 19-year-old Harry Amass, who was Shaw’s stand-in during pre-season, was yet at the right level.

Amass’ single appearance so far this season, as a substitute for the final 18 minutes against Sabah, backs up that view, although Carrick has countered it.

“He’s right in contention,” Carrick said.

“At some point, young players need an opportunity. It’s just finding the right time.

“Sometimes it’s because there’s an unfortunate thing happened to somebody else. Sometimes it’s just you’re doing so well we have to give you a chance.

“All the young players are in a similar boat. There’s maybe four, five, or six of them trying to make that next step in terms of getting into the team and trying to start games, and Harry’s definitely one of them.”

Bryan Mbeumo’s goal is not enough to win it for beleaguered United as Dominic Calvert-Lewin levels for Leeds.

Manchester United ended a turbulent week with a frustrating 1-1 draw at Leeds on Sunday that does little to ease the pressure on beleaguered manager Michael Carrick.

The Red Devils travelled to the Yorkshire home of their bitter rivals desperate to find a spark after just two wins in nine games in all competitions this season.

The sense of a growing crisis at the club was exacerbated in midweek by an outburst from defender Lisandro Martinez, who took aim at the United hierarchy after a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Argentina centre-back said Carrick, in his first full season in charge at Old Trafford, had been left with an under-strength squad after an underwhelming summer transfer window.

The United boss insisted on Friday that the club had “moved on” from the incident and Martinez was named in the starting lineup at Elland Road.

Both teams were fully committed in a feisty start to the match in Leeds but there was little goalmouth action.

The first effort on target came in the 26th minute when United goalkeeper Senne Lammens clawed away a Nico Elvedi header destined for the top corner after bouncing up off the turf.

Bryan Mbeumo, playing as United’s target man, headed wastefully wide a minute later after a fine cross from Youri Tielemans and then shot tamely at Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford.

But he finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Tielemans again delivered a low ball from the right which Mbeumo guided into the bottom corner for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

Martinez went off at half-time as Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui was brought into the action.

Leeds started strongly after the break and were level in the 51st minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin controlled the ball on his chest and finished at full stretch after Tarik Muharemovic got his head to the ball following a corner.

The home team were now well on top, largely limiting Carrick’s team to counter-attacks.

The Man United boss made attacking substitutions in the search for a winner, bringing on Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha, but neither team could force a winner.

The point left 20-time English champions Manchester United in 13th place in the table with just one win in seven games while Leeds are seventh.

Brighton stun Crystal Palace with five-star display

Elsewhere on Sunday, Brighton leapfrogged Arsenal into second place, at least temporarily, after humbling Crystal Palace 5-0, including a sensational Diego Gomez effort from the halfway line.

Fabian Hurzeler’s team were three goals up inside 10 minutes after an own goal from Palace defender Jaydee Canvot, Gomez’s spectacular effort and a strike from Yasin Ayari.

Further goals from Charalampos Kostoulas and substitute Jack Hinshelwood in the second half deepened Palace’s pain.

The Gunners, six points behind Manchester City, are in action at Nottingham Forest in the late-afternoon kickoff.

Arsenal need a win to rein in City, who have won all seven of their league games this season.

Enzo Maresca’s men have put together their impressive run despite off-field distractions after the club was charged with multiple breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Bournemouth beat 10-man Sunderland 2-0 with goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson for their first league win of the season.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick says club have ‘moved on’ from Lisandro Martinez blast before Leeds trip.

Michael Carrick said Manchester United had “moved on” from Lisandro Martinez’s outburst aimed at the club’s hierarchy this week, saying it was “really not a drama for us as a group”.

Argentina defender Martinez took aim at the hierarchy of the struggling club following United’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, saying Carrick had been left with an under-strength squad.

The centre-back criticised technical director Jason Wilcox, saying he had “100 percent” expected more investment during the summer transfer window after United finished third in the Premier League last season.

It is understood Martinez has been fined for his outburst, but Carrick said he would be in United’s squad for the Premier League match at Leeds on Sunday.

“It’s done, really,” Carrick said at his pre-match news conference on Friday when asked about Martinez’s comments and his subsequent apology and punishment.

“We’ve moved on from that,” he said. “It was one of those things. He has come out and acknowledged the situation, and as a group we’ve moved on.

“It is really not a drama for us as a group. The boys have trained really well; there was a really good feeling around training this morning.”

Martinez issues apology, but Keane calls Man Utd a ‘circus’

Martinez, 28, issued an apology on Thursday, saying he had held positive talks with the club’s leadership and Carrick.

“Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity,” he said in a post on Instagram.

“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”

Former United captain Roy Keane branded the situation at his former club as “a bit of a circus”.

United travel to Elland Road, the home of one of their fiercest rivals, with just two wins from nine games in all competitions this season.

They are 13th in the Premier League, with just one win from six matches and drew their last match 1-1 against 10-man Tottenham.

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick says he is “telling the truth” when he says the club have moved on from Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match comments this week.

Carrick’s close friend and team-mate Wayne Rooney led the condemnation of Martinez, saying the Argentine defender could “rip the dressing room apart” with his attack on United’s hierarchy after the 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Former United skippers Roy Keane and Gary Neville have also had their say, among a huge amount of analysis.

Martinez has apologised for the timing of comments, which turned the spotlight on director of football Jason Wilcox, but not for the words themselves.

“There’s a lot of people who say a lot of things – ex-pros or not ex-pros – it doesn’t necessarily mean they understand what is going on here,” said Carrick in his pre-match media conference at United’s Carrington training ground.

“Just because people talk on the outside doesn’t mean that is the truth. I am telling you the truth. The squad today was in a fantastic place, better than I have seen it for a while. That is it, plain and simple. We are living it every day and know what it feels like.

“We are emotional and care a lot. Sometimes someone says something that maybe you shouldn’t say at that certain time, but it doesn’t distract us from what we are creating here and the environment and spirit within the group.

“It [the squad] is not affected, I am telling you.”

Carrick confirmed Martinez would be “part of the squad” for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Leeds at Elland Road (14:00 BST).

More to follow.

Lisandro Martinez meets with his Manchester Untied manager Michael Carrick before apologizing for criticism of the club.

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez apologised on Thursday for criticising the club’s hierarchy following their Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, after holding talks with manager Michael Carrick and senior officials.

Martinez met Carrick and club executives after training, two days after saying the club needed greater investment to help the team compete at the highest level following Tuesday’s 2-0 loss.

“Today I met with the club’s leadership and the manager,” Martinez said in an Instagram post, in his second statement since the interview.

“It was a very positive conversation where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday’s game.”

A club source said that any internal disciplinary action would remain private, adding that it had been Martinez’s decision to apologise publicly and that all parties considered the matter closed.

British media, including the BBC, reported that United fined the defender over the outburst.

Martinez acknowledged that his frustration following the defeat had got the better of him and apologised for choosing the wrong moment to air his feelings.

“Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity,” he said.

“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”

The Argentina international had singled out director of football Jason Wilcox in the post-game interview, saying United needed more signings to compete with their rivals and build a squad capable of challenging in Europe.

Martinez said his comments had not reflected the unity required at Old Trafford and stressed his belief that everyone at the club was working towards the same goal.

“Our club is at its best when we are all united, and I recognise that my words in that moment did not help with that,” he said.

“I know that every single person at Manchester United is doing everything possible to achieve our shared ambition, bringing the success that this club and its supporters deserve.”

Martinez finished his statement by drawing a line under the episode.

“With this situation now behind us, we are fully focused on winning together.”

United are 13th in the Premier League after six games in their worst start in 40 years. They travel to seventh-placed Leeds United on Sunday.