Manchester United: Carrick confronts the crisis before Atlético as the Conte rumour emerges

Michael Carrick did not pick his fixture list. On Tuesday night Manchester United play in Madrid, their first away game in this Champions League campaign, with six points from six Premier League matches: the club’s worst start in forty years. United are winless in four in all competitions, a run that includes a 1-1 draw with Tottenham, bottom of the table, and a Carabao Cup exit against Brighton.

“Of course, we hoped for a lot more. We hoped and expected a lot more. But this is where we are. I love this kind of challenge,” Carrick said at his press conference. He called Atlético “one of the best clubs” and praised their “extraordinary” record, hard to compare with Real Madrid or Barcelona, two clubs with more trophies. Gary Neville, the Sky Sports pundit, takes a darker view: “Michael Carrick has a lot to think about. The day was worrying given his level of performance and the week ahead looks crucial.”

Conte, a rumour resting on one Italian source

His future is already being discussed in the Italian press. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, picked up by Foot Mercato, Manchester United have opened talks with Antonio Conte about replacing Carrick. The club have confirmed nothing, and some retellings of the same story already describe a deal close to being struck, with no official source behind them. So far it stays a rumour.

October gives him no breathing room

Five matches in eighteen days await United, four of them away from Old Trafford:

• Atlético Madrid (Champions League, Tuesday);
• Leeds (Premier League, Sunday 18 October);
• Como (Champions League, 21 October);
• Bournemouth, at home (Premier League, 25 October);
• Chelsea (Premier League, 31 October).

United’s price is already drifting

The next league stop is Leeds, at Elland Road on Sunday: seventh in the table on nine points, against a United side sitting thirteenth. The market has started to move: United’s win, posted at 2.85 on the opening price, now trades at 2.75 at 10BET, a drop of 3.4%. If the Madrid week goes badly, that trip will be played by a manager under threat and a price that keeps drifting. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.