Our senior Manchester United writer Tyrone Marshall answers your questions on the club and what is going on at Old Trafford right now, ahead of the team’s return to action at Everton on Monday
05:00, 18 Feb 2026
Manchester United are in the middle of a 13-day break between fixtures at the moment and the gap is the chance for the dust to settle on Michael Carrick’s start as head coach.
United grabbed an injury-time equaliser against West Ham last week to ensure it was five games unbeaten for Carrick and they remain in pole position for a return to the Champions League. Carrick will look to continue that momentum against Everton on Monday night.
But it’s been another chaotic week at OId Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments about immigration creating a storm inside the club and setting alarm bells ringing outside it. You’ve been sending in plenty of questions again this week and we’ve answered them below.
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We run weekly question and answer sessions, so click here to submit your questions, and we’ll answer them next week. Here are the answers to some of this week’s questions:
When will the past great Manchester United players stop provoking players on podcasts?
This has been a pretty big issue at Old Trafford this season. It reared its head again when Ruben Amorim mentioned people listening to Gary Neville’s opinion in his fateful press conference at Leeds, although it was believed that was an issue to people above him listening to Neville’s podcast.
We’ve also had Lisandro Martinez’s very public feud with Paul Scholes as an example of an issue that is becoming a little divisive. It is certainly something people at United are aware of.
No club dominates the public landscape quite like this one and there is an army of former players in media roles now, not just on TV and radio but increasingly in the podcast sphere, which represents a new challenge. You can be a little looser on podcasts than in mainstream media and we are seeing that happen.
The best way to shut them up, if that is what United’s players want to do, is to focus on winning games. The criticism has died down during Michael Carrick’s five games in charge and it will remain quiet if they stay on track for the Champions League.
For me, it doesn’t make sense that United could deny Carrick an opportunity because they need a big-name manager. It should be about the feeling within the club and the players and the players are happy with Carrick, so should Carrick not get the job?
This is an interesting point and it will be fascinating to see how much weight is given to the opinion of the players during this process, because both publicly and privately, they are speaking warmly of Carrick. He has put a smile back on the faces of a lot of those players and Bruno Fernandes has been very vocal in his support of the 44-year-old.
United insist they are planning a “thorough” recruitment process to get the right person in charge of the 2026/27 season, and Carrick has certainly put himself in the frame for that, but I wouldn’t expect any decision until much later in the season, and possibly beyond the end of the season.
But if the players are asked, then I think Carrick will get a lot of support, especially if results continue as they are. They have enjoyed his coaching sessions, the style of football and the subtle changes he has made behind the scenes.
We haven’t had an academy graduate hit the ground running since Mainoo and Garnacho. Could Amass solve the left-back issue? What has happened to Wheatley and are there any others with true potential?
One thing I would say is that it’s not easy to make it as an academy graduate at United. We have seen plenty get a chance recently and some of those will come again, but you’re right that Mainoo is the last to come through and really establish himself.
Amass is an interesting one. With Tyrell Malacia leaving this summer and Patrick Dorgu often playing further forward, there could be a first-team spot available. His momentum has stalled, however. He has played just 15 minutes of football in a little over six weeks, having picked up a hamstring injury since swapping Sheffield Wednesday for Norwich.
Wheatley had his moment in the first team, but is now focusing on development through loan spells. His step up to Bradford City and a League One promotion battle is a new test, but having been starting games at Northampton, he is now coming off the bench for the Bantams.
Sekou Kone is a better player than Carlos Baleba, so can he not be Casemiro’s replacement?
That is a huge statement and one that is almost impossible to justify. Baleba has had a difficult season and it does feel like he has lost his way a little since United’s attempts to sign him in 2025, but he remains a good Premier League performer and has plenty of experience under his belt.
At 22, he has played 102 games for Brighton and 82 of them have been in the Premier League. He also has 15 caps for Cameroon and is clearly a player who is going to go on to bigger and better things.
United have high hopes for Kone, but his adaptation from football in Mali to life at Old Trafford hasn’t been easy. He is 20 now but has no serious experience under his belt and clearly isn’t ready to be in the first-team squad.
There is hope that his loan with Lausanne Sport might do him some good, but he has been left out of their Conference League squad and has managed just 10 minutes in three games in the Swiss Super League so far.
What’s happening with Shea Lacey? That kid has a lot of potential.
We saw from Lacey’s first-team cameos in January that there is a serious player there. His last three appearances in Premier League 2 have delivered six goals, which suggests the 18-year-old might already be growing out of development football.
He hasn’t made the bench for the last couple of first-team games, and interestingly, he wasn’t in the squad when the Under-21s played Derby on February 6. I’m not aware of an injury issue at the moment but his last football was more than two weeks ago, when he scored a hat-trick against West Brom.
He is partly a victim of the lack of first-team games this season, because he would have got more minutes in cup competitions and would have made the bench for European games, when you can name more substitutes. It will be interesting to see if United keep his development in-house next season or opt for a loan, but they rate him very highly.
Why not try Amad as a striker?
Amad did play as a striker, or a false nine at least, during his time at Sunderland, but I don’t see it happening at the moment for United. The reality is that Bryan Mbeumo is better if you want a No. 9 who offers a bit more movement and link-up play. If you want an out-and-out striker, you’d pick Sesko.
If Sesko does come into the team, I would think it is Amad’s place that is vulnerable. His levels have dropped recently but he is still a relatively young player and that is to be expected every now and again. A couple of games as an impact sub might be a good thing for him.
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