Carrick and De Zerbi's slow start to the season leave them in deep waters heading into the first international break of the season.
Michael Carrick is 11/4 (best) to 5/2 (worst) in the next Premier League manager to leave market. Roberto De Zerbi is the favourite at 2/1. Those prices sit on hard early season numbers: United have five points from five matches, matching their joint fewest at this stage of a Premier League campaign (also 2014/15). Tottenham have two points and a goal difference of minus six, their worst five game Premier League start on record, worse than 2008/09 (two points, minus three gd).
Carrick’s interim run last season produced 2.3 points per game across 17 league matches and a permanent deal to 2028. Five games into 2026/27 the return is 1.0 point per game. That drop is what has him second on the sack board.
Next Premier League Manager Sacked Odds
Who is favourite to be the next manager sacked in the Premier League?
| Selection | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Roberto De Zerbi | 2/1 | 2/1 |
| Michael Carrick | 11/4 | 5/2 |
| Alvaro Arbeloa | 9/2 | 4/1 |
| Pierre Sage | 5/1 | 7/2 |
| Frank Lampard | 8/1 | 7/1 |
| Gary O'Neil | 11/1 | 11/1 |
| Oliver Glasner | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Matthias Jaissle | 20/1 | 20/1 |
| Unai Emery | 25/1 | 20/1 |
| David Moyes | 25/1 | 25/1 |
De Zerbi is 2/1 on every priced book on this card. Carrick is next. Arbeloa (9/2 best) and Sage (5/1 best) complete the top four. Lampard has drifted to 8/1 best after Coventry’s first win. O'Neil, Glasner, Jaissle, Emery and Moyes sit from 11/1 to 25/1.
Michael Carrick Sacked Odds
United’s league form: Hull City 2-0 (A), Ipswich Town 5-2 (H), Everton 2-2 (A), Manchester City 0-1 (H), Fulham 1-1 (A).
Record: played five, won one, drawn two, lost two. Five points. Around mid table heading into a three week international break.
Add the midweek Carabao Cup exit: Brighton 3-2 at Old Trafford after United led 2-0. That made it three home disappointments in eight days when the derby defeat, cup collapse, and this weekend's close call are considered .
United had 29 shots to Fulham’s 12, yet expected goals were almost level at 1.59 to 1.57. The first half alone produced 26 combined shots without a goal, a Premier League record for a goalless first half in Opta’s shot data (since 2003/04). Lisandro Martínez’s own goal arrived on 63 minutes after Senne Lammens spilled Calvin Bassey’s effort. Matheus Cunha’s deflected finish on 89 minutes rescued one point.
United’s next league fixture is Tottenham at Old Trafford after the break (around 10 October). Spurs are also winless. That fixture now carries sack race weight for both dugouts.
Premier League Sack Race
- Tottenham’s league return after five matches: two points, two goals scored, eight conceded, goal difference minus six.
- A home defeat to Aston Villa finished 3-2 after Spurs trailed 3-0; Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia scored for Villa before late replies from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke. They are winless through five, in the relegation zone.
- Fulham under Arbeloa: one point from the opening run before United, then the 1-1 that stopped a first league win. Longest winless start to a league season since 2020/21. Arbeloa remains 9/2 best and 4/1 worst.
- Crystal Palace under Sage: 11 goals conceded in the first four league games, then a 0-0 clean sheet at unbeaten Leeds. Best price 5/1, worst 7/2.
- Coventry under Lampard: four league matches without a goal and without a win, then 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. Jay Dasilva scored Coventry’s first Premier League goal of the season and first top flight win in 25 years. Forest had a late equaliser disallowed by VAR. Lampard’s drift to 8/1 best tracks that result directly.
- Further back: Glasner’s Forest are still without a home league win this season after that Coventry defeat. Jaissle is in the early months at Newcastle after Eddie Howe’s July exit. Emery’s Villa took a first league win of the season at Tottenham. Moyes sits at 25/1.
