Rob Dawson Oct 25, 2026, 02:01 PM ET

MANCHESTER, England -- Michael Carrick couldn't get a reaction out of these Manchester United players when he needed one most. If the same thing happens to the next manager, one of the biggest football clubs in Europe will be facing the prospect of relegation from the Premier League .

Fresh off the back of the humiliating 4-1 defeat to Como in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Carrick spent the first five minutes of his news conference on Friday pleading with his squad to show that they cared enough to put in a completely different performance.

In his desperation for a change of fortunes, he dropped Bruno Fernandes following the captain's incendiary comments about the game plan in Italy .…