Michael Carrick's cheering songs that once resounded in the stands of Manchester United fans may no longer be sung with the excitement they had before after the defeat to Newcastle. But not necessarily for the reasons that many people think of.
That's Carrick. It's hard to believe it's not Scholes". That familiar line suddenly became more awkward, especially after legend Paul Scholes suddenly mocked his former teammate on social media after Carrick's first defeat as a coach.
Michael definitely has something special... because Man United has played poorly in the last 4 matches" - Scholes commented.
This statement caused much surprise, because Scholes and Carrick were once a good midfield pair for Man United for 7 seasons and played more than 150 matches together. Moreover, Carrick actually won 6 out of the last 7 matches before losing at St James' Park.
However, the defeat to Newcastle partly reflects the problems that have appeared in previous matches against West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace.
When Jacob Ramsey received a second yellow card for diving and was sent off, many people believed that Carrick's winning streak would continue. This is the third time in 8 matches that Man United's opponent has received a red card since he took over - a number that shows that the team also somewhat benefited from the element of luck.
In previous times, when facing Tottenham and Crystal Palace, the "Red Devils" have taken advantage of the numerical advantage. However, at St James' Park, they failed to exploit this advantage.
Despite playing with one more player in the entire second half, Man United was still inferior to Newcastle. The home team had more shots on target, created more chances and finally won thanks to a late goal by William Osula.
This is disappointing, especially when Newcastle is said to be having physical problems and missing captain Bruno Guimaraes. They have played 45 matches this season, significantly more than M.U's 30 matches.
Meanwhile, Man United has only played their third midweek match in 2026, and they have not won any of these matches. Even before the away trip to Newcastle, they had a long break.
Carrick is also facing a squad lacking depth. In the recent match, Tyrell Malacia and Manuel Ugarte were brought on from the bench but did not make much of a difference.
Looking at Newcastle, Man United's leadership probably also realizes the challenges ahead. If the team qualifies for European cups next season, a dense schedule could make the current squad face many difficulties.
This further reveals the dependence of the Old Trafford home team on counter-attacking play. This is an effective tactic but difficult to maintain when facing deep defensive teams.
Carrick does not have much time on the training ground to improve these tactical issues. However, the time for him to convince the Man United board that he deserves to continue leading the team is also running out.
Club leaders such as Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have to make important decisions. Can Carrick take Man United one step further, or what he is seeing now is his limit.
Some of Carrick's substitutions have been effective, such as in matches against West Ham and Everton when Benjamin Sesko scored the decisive goal after coming on as a substitute. However, those were mainly individual moments of brilliance rather than the result of a clear tactical plan.
Similarly, in the match against Crystal Palace, stretching the squad helped Man United win a penalty. But we cannot ignore the factor when Maxence Lacroix was sent off.
In the first 8 matches under Carrick, Man United only had two truly convincing performances against Arsenal and Manchester City. In addition, most of the other victories took place in a context where the opponent lost a player. The defeat to Newcastle therefore became the clearest warning.
Carrick's path at Old Trafford is having notable similarities with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - who he used to be his assistant.
The fear of repeating past mistakes makes the new leadership of Man United have to consider very carefully. INEOS cannot accept any more wrong decisions in the selection of coaches.
Therefore, Man United's reaction after this defeat will be very important. If they continue to show similar form in the match against Aston Villa - who are tied on points with them - the pressure will be even greater.
Conversely, a convincing victory could help Carrick dispel doubts and put the "Red Devils" in a favorable position in the race to win a Champions League spot when the season is only 7 rounds away.
Until then, Carrick can hardly convince everyone that he is a special coach. At least with Paul Scholes. But the upcoming matches will be the last chance for him to prove that he deserves to continue staying at Old Trafford.
