KiseJoe

🚨 Ashley Young doesn’t hold back on INEOS potentially replacing Carrick with Pochettino: “If Pochettino is the answer, somebody at INEOS needs to explain the question. Because if the question is, ‘Who gives Manchester United the best chance of winning the biggest trophies?’ I need more than another presentation about a project. I played with Michael. I know what standards he understands. That doesn’t make him untouchable. But if you’re sacking him, show me the upgrade. Imagine sitting in that meeting. ‘We need somebody who can develop players.’ ‘Fine. What about winning?’ ‘He has Premier League experience.’ ‘So have the managers we’ve already sacked. What are we actually changing?’ Pochettino left Tottenham without a trophy. At Chelsea, sixth and a lost cup final. He had Messi, Neymar and Mbappe together at PSG and didn’t deliver the Champions League. Now we’re supposed to accept that United is where everything comes together? Based on what? If that’s the choice, I’d rather keep Carrick, set him clear targets and make the players answer for their performances as well. Against Roma and Villa, they showed fight. That doesn’t wipe out the poor results. It gives you something to test before you throw the whole thing away. ‘Michael, this is what we need from the next seven games. These are the standards. Deliver.’ At least everybody knows where they stand. Instead, we get another name, another reset, another request for patience. I’ve heard enough versions of that conversation since Sir Alex left. ‘The new manager needs time.’ Then time passes. ‘The squad isn’t right for him.’ Then money gets spent. ‘We need a different direction.’ And somehow the people choosing the direction always get to choose another one. What exactly are INEOS doing differently? And before somebody says United have never tried proven winners, I played under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. We won trophies. I was there. That makes the questions upstairs even louder. You have already employed men who knew how to win. Why did the club still fail to build something that lasted? What did you learn? Where is that learning visible now? You cannot keep pointing at the dugout as though nobody appointed the man sitting in it. My preference would be a manager with a repeated record of turning expectations into league titles. Somebody who has walked into a dressing room and made winning the standard. Then support the decisions that come with appointing him. ‘He wants changes to the squad.’ ‘Then explain which ones and get the work done.’ ‘He’s demanding.’ ‘Good. We’re demanding that he wins. Why should everybody else be comfortable?’ If even that manager struggles in the same ways, after proper backing, the people running United should have nowhere left to hide. But you don’t need another failed appointment to start examining them. The evidence is already there. The supporters have spent years being asked to believe the next change will fix what the previous change didn’t. If INEOS believe Pochettino is a clear improvement, put the reasons on the table. Explain why his record makes him the man to restore United to the top. Don’t just tell us he fits the structure. If the structure keeps producing this, why is fitting into it a recommendation? I’d rather give Carrick a clear test than restart the same argument with a different face. United need people who can win. And people upstairs prepared to be judged when their decisions don’t.”