Gary Lineker has now made his feelings perfectly clear on the rest of Michael Carrick’s interim head coach reign at Manchester United this season.
Michael Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January after Manchester United made the decision to sack Ruben Amorim from his head coach role at the club.
With Ruben Amorim SACKED, where will Manchester United finish in 2025/26?
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The 44-year-old United legend was installed as interim head coach and Carrick’s tenure is only expected to last for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
However, Carrick has enjoyed a major ‘manager bounce’ since his appointment, with the Red Devils not losing a single match under his interim reign so far.
United narrowly avoided defeat to West Ham on Tuesday evening after striker Benjamin Sesko scored a superb injury-time equaliser at the London Stadium.
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Gary Lineker’s position on Man Utd and Michael Carrick’s challenge ahead of him in the 2025-26 season
The Red Devils remain fourth in the Premier League table after Manchester United rescued a point against West Ham earlier this week.
United are one point clear of fifth-place Chelsea and Michael Carrick’s men are five points adrift of third-place Aston Villa with 12 Premier League matches remaining.
How many points will Man Utd get from the next five games? Let’s hear your predictions/hopes…
Michael Carrick took 13 points from his first five…
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker has now suggested that Man Utd will likely miss out on the top four alongside Chelsea and defending champions Liverpool.
“Yeah, it will be, I would go with that,” he said.
“I think it will be two, either United, Chelsea or Liverpool will miss out. I think [Arne] Slot said it would be a real concern if we [Liverpool] didn’t make the Champions League and would put him under enormous pressure.”
The Premier League top four is the ultimate objective for Michael Carrick at Man Utd
United have been reduced to a 40-match season and the Red Devils’ full focus is now on the remainder of their Premier League campaign under Carrick.
Carrick has major momentum behind him after the Red Devils’ Premier League success against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham.
The West Ham result on Tuesday evening slightly derailed Man Utd’s Premier League top-four ambitions, but Carrick was able to maintain an unbeaten start to his reign.
All eyes are on the United legend and the pressure of the former Middlesbrough boss securing Champions League football for the Red Devils for next season.
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