Man Utd decision may frustrate Shilen Patel and West Brom for one big reason | OneFootball

Man United's pursuit of Michael Carrick will leave West Brom frustrated after Ryan Mason's sacking

Ryan Mason was under pressure at West Brom for weeks and it was a 2-1 loss to Leicester City that finally cost him his job, but Man United’s own timing may be the bigger frustration for owner Shilen Patel.

It was reported by Football Insider in December that Michael Carrick was emerging as a front-runner to take over at the Hawthorns, but that door now looks like it might be closed due to developments at Old Trafford.

Mason oversaw a 10th away defeat in a row with the loss at the King Power Stadium on Monday, and as a consequence he is now out of a job.

This was his first foray into football management after previously working as a coach at Tottenham Hotspur, including being part of Ange Postecoglou’s staff for the London outfit’s Europa League triumph against the Red Devils.

But now their decision to sack Ruben Amorim may have a major impact for the Baggies, who are searching for a third head coach since Patel bought the club almost two years ago.

Michael Carrick’s potential Man United return will hurt West Brom

Carrick previously worked as Middlesbrough’s head coach for two-and-a-half seasons, but his reign came to an end in the summer after a disappointing 10th place finish in the Championship.

The 44-year-old didn’t quite achieve the aims being asked of him at the Riverside, with the Teesside outfit hoping to earn promotion back to the Premier League.

But Carrick showed a lot of promise as a coach, and issues such as recurring injuries to key players, under-performance of underlying numbers and major sales of key stars like Emmanuel Latte Lath and Morgan Rogers cost the team during his time in charge.

As an appointment, the former midfielder could’ve been a smart option to replace Mason and he was available throughout the disappointing first half of the campaign.

It’s no surprise that links emerged in December that Carrick was a front-runner for the role given his track record and Mason’s own struggles.

But the sudden and surprising dismissal of Amorim on Monday has led to reports that the former England international is now set for face-to-face talks with Man United regarding a potential return to their coaching setup.

The window of opportunity has slammed shut on West Brom right at the moment when they were finally about to strike.

West Brom’s lack of decisiveness costing them

The 2-1 loss to Leicester has left West Brom 18th in the Championship table, just seven points ahead of the relegation zone and 10 adrift of the play-offs.

The Baggies’ season is at risk of sliding into complete disaster, with a promotion push looking incredibly unlikely, barring a remarkable turnaround.

Pressure first mounted on Mason as early as November, when a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic condemned the team to a fourth game in a row without a win.

But things didn’t improve much in December, when four defeats in five games culminated in a 2-1 loss at home to Bristol City on the 26th.

Yet Albion persisted with Mason into January, losing two more times before the decision was finally made to part ways.

The 34-year-old was afforded a lot of patience, which could be admirable but for the fact that West Brom ultimately cut their losses anyway.

A lack of decisiveness has now left them in the lurch, as Carrick was eminently gettable up until the very week the Championship side actually needed him.

It’s likely now that their search will have to begin anew, and it remains to be seen who will be in charge long-term.

Given the January window is now open, a new coach will surely want to come in as soon as possible in order to make use of the winter market.

If Mason had been dismissed last month, then Carrick could already be in charge and working on potential changes to the first team squad.