Man Utd legend Butt makes Carrick sack prediction as three transfer decisions could cost him | OneFootball

Man Utd legend Nicky Butt reckons Michael Carrick could be out of a job by January with the Red Devils still short in several areas.

The Red Devils have had a mixed start to the new season with Man Utd losing two, winning one and drawing one of their opening four Premier League fixtures.

Man Utd were unlucky to lose to a controversial Erling Haaland goal on Sunday in a 1-0 loss to Man City, while Carrick’s side have also beaten Sabah in the Champions League.

It is not all doom and gloom for Man Utd but there are still obvious weaknesses in their side with the Red Devils concentrating on rebuilding their midfield in the summer.

And Butt thinks that it’s potential unfair on Carrick or any future Man Utd coach to reshape their team in stages as he needs a striker and three defenders now.

Butt said on The Good, The Bad & The Football: “I think that’s all well and good saying (Manchester United) doing (their recruitment) in sections but if you’re a manager, you’re thinking: the forwards, they think they’re sorted. I don’t think they are. I think they need a number 9, an out and out number 9.

“They’ve gone and sorted the midfield out, which is debatable.

“I think they’ve done a decent job with that, but it could be that Michael could not even get to the next transfer window, and he could be going ‘well I’ve lost my job and you’re not giving me the tools to go and do my job with the back four’.

“Because certainly whatever you say about that back four, Harry Maguire’s been an unbelievable player—a top, top player—but he’s getting to a certain age now, and he is getting older, and we’ve all, we’ve all been there, haven’t we?

“You get older and you slow up or you’re not as good, not as quick. Martinez is still at the top of his game, he’s still a really good player. I love Luke Shaw. When he’s fit and playing, he’s one of the best in Europe, but it’s a fact that he gets a lot of injuries. The right backs, I don’t believe either of them are good enough.

“So you’re looking as a manager or as a coach, and you’re going, ‘well, I’m desperate to get some players in the back four’ but then it looks like the recruitment team and the powers that beat United are going, ‘no, that’s our next phase, and that might happen in January, it might even happen, and it’s gonna be really hard, or it’ll probably be happening in the summer.’ That doesn’t help the coaches.”

Phil Foden received a red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes after the Man Utd midfielder had booted him in the back in an apparent attempt to play the ball.

Fernandes received no punishment and dramatically reacted to Foden’s kick out as the Man City player was sent off in the Manchester Derby.

Reacting to the incident, Butt added: “The big thing for me is the red card. It’s ridiculous.

“He’s either got to give both a red card, or both nothing or both yellow cards.

“So that’s just papering over the cracks for me as a Man United fan.”