Every United boss since Sir Alex has hit the same wall, and Michael Carrick is now staring down the same unforgiving cycle at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have a problem that no manager seems able to solve. Since Sir Alex Ferguson walked away in 2013, the Old Trafford dugout has become the most punishing seat in English football, and Michael Carrick is the latest man feeling the squeeze.
The pattern is painfully familiar. A new coach arrives with big promises, a fresh philosophy and the backing of the fans. Then the cracks appear: inconsistent results, murmurs about the squad, questions over recruitment, and the pressure that comes with the weight of the club's history. Names as big as Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho and Solskjaer have all been through the same grinder.
That raises an uncomfortable question. If so many different managers, with different styles and reputations, keep running into the same problems, is the issue really the person in the technical area? Or is something deeper broken at United, in the structure, the culture and the expectations that surround the job?
Carrick knows the club inside out as a former player and a man who has stepped into the breach before, so nobody can accuse him of walking in blind. But familiarity does not protect anyone from the doom loop. Until United prove they can build something stable around their coach, the unmanageable-club label will stick, and the next managerial headline may already be on its way.
