Michael Carrick was set to remain in charge for Saturday's visit to Chelsea. At the same time, Amazon's All or Nothing camera crews have been given "unprecedented" access to document the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Old Trafford this season.
Carrick's response to outside criticism
Asked during Thursday's news conference how he deals with the 'noise' from former team-mates and ex-players, Carrick said he avoids it as best he can. He said: "I don't see it really. I see the things that I need to see. I don't look for it - it doesn't really help in any way. I've said it before, I care about what the supporters think. I care about what it feels like in the stadium, and them travelling to games for us, to come and see us and support us. I care about what we give them, and what we offer them, and what they see. I genuinely don't take any notice of anything else."
Neville and Rooney add to the debate
Gary Neville provided scathing on-air commentary during Manchester United's 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth on Sunday. After that match, Neville accused some Manchester United players of being unprofessional, saying: "There's a couple of them... I live in Manchester and they're not that professional, some of them. I've got no time for them. There's a few of them that don't go to bed at the right time. Don't eat the right things. Don't think about Manchester United every single minute of every single day."
On Tuesday, Wayne Rooney appeared on Gary Neville's Manchester United-dedicated YouTube channel 'Stick to United' and said Carrick's players "need a firework up their a***". Mark Goldbridge, whose real name is Brent di Cesare, now co-hosts the 'Stick to United' show with Rooney. Goldbridge's YouTube channels had amassed more than 3.7million subscribers.
On Gary Neville's The Overlap show, Neville said managers sometimes need to be sacked "for their own good", while Roy Keane said Carrick and his backroom staff are "lucky boys" to still be in jobs.
Former players' remarks and replies
Before last season's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, Nicky Butt said Erling Haaland would "pick Lisandro Martinez up and run with him", while Paul Scholes said Haaland would "throw him in the net" after scoring. Manchester United won that game 2-0.
Asked about Scholes' comments after the match, the Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez said: "Honestly, he can say whatever he wants. I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants. To my house, wherever. I don't care."
Butt explained in January: "When it goes bad, you can't cry and go, 'Oh, they're having a go at us'. We love the football club. I've been a Manchester United fan since the age of six or seven, as long as I can remember. I'm not saying it to go, 'Let's stab everybody in the back'. I'm saying it because it is genuinely c**p."
Interviews, shows and club messaging
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's podcast in the summer, Gary Neville said "United are the hardest games I do" and admitted: "People might think that I'm more critical of United when they don't play well. Sometimes, over the last maybe 10 years, the balance, maybe I've not got it right." He also said: "It's a balance though Rio, isn't it? It's like, do I want City to win the league? I absolutely don't want City anywhere near the league title."
In an interview with The Athletic, Erik ten Hag said former players could be "more helpful" to the club. He said: "I did nice interviews with them both , so it didn't hurt me. Of course, they have podcasts, they have their models. Sometimes it's difficult for players. Some of them get affected by it, get annoyed by it. They achieved massive successes. But also, they can help the club more, help the players more. There should be two ways that they support it. But I think always the thing you most love, you most criticise."
In 2018, former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said: "Playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business."
