MICHAEL CARRICK had a face like thunder when he marched into the press conference room at Old Trafford on Saturday night.
His stride was not quite that of a dead man walking.
But the majority of supporters who trudged out the ground after seeing ten-man know this team is flatlining.
, 45, was tanned and relaxed when he took over in January, having holidayed in Barbados over Christmas and New Year. Now he is frayed and grey.
It happens to them all.
The seasons have changed and the Manchester climate has left United’s under-the-cosh coaches with a particularly careworn appearance.
We all know how this is going to end.
It is a case of when, not if, Carrick leaves and the head coach has ample self-awareness to brace himself for the inevitable.
This is not a knee-jerk. The Red Devils drew 1-1 with the bottom side at kick-off for the second match running — after being held last month — and they were the inferior side.
That was despite leading 1-0 through and having Rodrigo Bentancur for a headbutt on after 78 minutes.
Dominic Solanke’s late, late equaliser was the least the visitors deserved.
Carrick stated on the eve of the fixture United had to show more “fire”.
He is the club’s least fiery manager since Dave Sexton, so it did not sound like the rallying cry it looked like in black and white.
It was no surprise then when they failed to show intensity against Spurs.
Yet Carrick said: “No, I don’t think it was that. It looks like that in the end and I understand why you say that.
“We don’t want to start games like that, no one wants to start games like that.
“It was challenging for the players, but they worked through it and got themselves in a good position, which is the most disappointing thing — not seeing the game out.”
United have not recovered from the opening weekend farce at newly-promoted Hull, a that had Carrick’s fingerprints all over it.
He went past the point of no return with the League Cup collapse against Brighton.
For a distinguished midfielder, Carrick has failed to settle on a suitable starting duo in the middle of the park.
Andrey Santos, billed as a “dream” by Carrick in pre-season, has not started since that Hull horror show.
, an opportunistic purchase from after a deal for Ederson collapsed, looks older than his 29 years.
United cannot say they were not warned after Tielemans confessed his body “switched off” during the World Cup.
The team’s start has been so pitiful they are almost pining for the overrated , a 34-year-old with his feet up in the MLS retirement home in Miami. To absolutely no surprise, his heir, , sparked a brief improvement in the second half against Robert De Zerbi’s Spurs.
Santos, a £50m benchwarmer, never looked smart business and that is not on Carrick. Director of football Jason Wilcox appears out of his depth and he settled with the easy decision of up- grading Carrick’s job title.
It was an understandable call but better coaches were available.
United had momentum after last term’s third-place finish but it was convenient for them to settle with the compliant caretaker.
As underwhelming as United’s restrained transfer window was, they ended it with a stronger squad than the one they finished with last term.
The buck stops with the manager but almost every player is letting Carrick down.
Keeper is wilting, looks leaden, is dawdling and is regressing to the desperate depths of Ralf Rangnick’s five months as an interim.
It is not Carrick’s style to pass the buck and he stressed: “No, I don’t feel let down. Because you can make mistakes and things go against you.
“I’ve made mistakes in games — but I don’t feel let down by them for making a mistake.
“We’ve just got to all help each other be better, and it’s on me to help them and guide them through it.”
Striding as purposefully as Carrick would be a start. But it feels too late.
