Gary Neville has accused Man United‘s players of ‘conning’ Michael Carrick and branded them ‘unprofessional’ in an eviscerating attack.
Sunday’s abject 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Old Trafford followed the dire 4-1 embarrassment in Como and looks likely to spell the end of the manager’s tenure.
Carrick, 45, received a warm reaction from the Stretford End despite the latest miserable loss and the home faithful then turned on the squad, booing them off the pitch.
Neville appears to agree with the sentiment shown by fans, saying he has ‘no time for the players’, some of whom he claims ‘don’t eat the right things’ or ‘go to bed at the right time’.
‘They’ve teased him, haven’t they? They’ve conned him for a few months. They have they’ve conned him,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.
‘Honestly, he would never say this publicly because he’s got class. I can say it for him though. He’ll look at those players with disgust. Some of them, he’ll be disgusted with some of those players.
Gary Neville believes Michael Carrick will be ‘disgusted’ by his Manchester United players
‘A few of them aren’t that professional. I live in Manchester. Some of them aren’t that professional. So I’ve got no time for them.
‘There’s a few of them that don’t go to bed at the right time, don’t eat the right things, don’t think about Manchester United every single minute of every day, and aren’t living and breathing this football club as they should be – and as professionals should.
‘Why? Because it’s gone to their heads. They are nothing, some of those players.’
Carrick chose to leave Bruno Fernandes on the substitutes bench on Sunday after the club captain’s scathing remarks about team tactics in midweek and did not turn to him, even with the team losing.
It represented the first time Fernandes has been pulled from the line-up for non-fitness reasons since Carrick, again, took him out against Villarreal in November 2021. Jamie Carragher believes Carrick ‘deliberately tried to embarrass’ Fernandes by snubbing him on Sunday.
For Neville, the simple fact that Fernandes was willing to break rank as he did and publicly take a swipe at Carrick shows that the players have turned on the manager.
He went on: ‘He’s not been able to get a tune out of them and they’ve turned on him. I know that because if Bruno has turned on him publicly, with that little statement, imagine what they’re like behind the scenes.
‘If that’s your captain saying that, imagine what they’re saying in the dressing room behind closed doors when no one’s listening. That’s horrific.’
United were beaten 3-0 at home by Bournemouth and the manager is hanging on by a thread
United are 16th in the Premier League and some bookmakers have suspended betting on Carrick being axed.
Eddie Howe remains the current betting favourite to take the helm if indeed United choose to pull the trigger just months after making Carrick permanent boss following his interim spell.
Carrick put his hand to his chest and showed his appreciation for the support fans offered him after the Bournemouth defeat but insisted his gestures should not be interpreted as a farewell.
Asked if he expects to be sacked, Carrick said: ‘I totally understand the situation. I’m not expecting anything either way.
‘I’m carrying on as normal. I love this place. I’ll always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club and I won’t change that now, whatever decision is made.
‘It’s a tough situation, there’s no hiding from it. What it looks like and what’s next I really don’t know. I love what I do and I feel the responsibility. We’ll have to wait and see.
‘Of course, I take responsibility. I respect the position that I’m in, and the responsibility is mine. What else can I say really right now?
‘I’ve tried to do everything I can to not be in this position, of course I have. For a number of reasons, we’ve not been able to stop that happening to the position we’re in right now.
‘I’ve been at the club a long time. It hurts an awful lot to see us going through this at this moment in time. The situation is where we are and we haven’t had results or performances that have been good enough.’
‘It wasn’t a farewell from me,’ Carrick insisted. ‘I probably didn’t really expect that off the supporters, if I’m honest, but I’ve always felt the support and that connection with them.
‘It will take a bit of time to digest, but I certainly appreciate their support. It’s difficult for me to have a day like this at this club and feel the emotion.
‘I’m feeling it for my players, they’re going through a tough spell. There’s a lot of emotion in the changing room right now, there’s a lot of the boys quite hurt, to be fair.
‘It’s not like they don’t care or they want to be in this position. The ones I’ve spoken to, it’s affecting them a lot.’
