How Manchester United players feel about Newcastle defeat

Ever since former manager Ruben Amorim was sacked and replaced by Michael Carrick by the Manchester United higher-ups, the feeling among supporters has been much rosier.

Things under the Portuguese tactician turned sour towards to the end of his tenure as he remained wedded to his three-at-the-back formation and turned his nose up at trusting the likes of academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo.

A former midfielder of the club, Carrick arrived in enviable style and earned himself the Manger of the Month award in January.

Although it remains unknown that he’ll be given the permanent job in the summer, there’s no doubt that he’s done a brilliant job of steadying the ship for Amorim’s eventual long-term successor.

His first match in charge – against rivals Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – ended 2-0 in favour of the Red Devils and he followed that up with a 3-2 win over Arsenal.

Consecutive victories against capital club duo Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur beckoned before Carrick suffered the first time he dropped points: in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.

Winning 1-0 against Everton and 2-1 against Crystal Palace followed but his almost-perfect record came to an end recently.

United lost 2-1 to Newcastle United thanks to William Osula’s last-minute dagger – but they remained third in the table, ahead of Aston Villa and Chelsea.

The Magpies had initially taken the lead through an Anthony Gordon penalty but Casemiro’s header drew things level in added time of the first half.

Osula, however, had the last laugh and curled his left-footed effort beyond Senne Lammens in the 90th minute.

And, according to a report from The Sun, United players believe they have let Carrick down with recent performances, admitting to their slow start to outings.

A source said: “The players feel like they let the manager down with the way they played. They think the big gaps between games are hurting them and making them struggle to start properly.

“It’s something they are aware of and want to change.”

Carrick, following his side’s loss to Newcastle, looked less than impressed at the full-time whistle. After ignoring his players, he ventured onto the St James’ Park pitch to applaud the travelling away fans.

“I’m really, really disappointed with tonight. We need to learn from it, because it’s a bit of a lesson for us tonight. We’ve got to be better for this,” he said.

Looking to right their wrongs after the first loss of Carrick’s second spell in the Old Trafford, the Red Devils face Unai Emery’s Champions League-chasing Villa before travelling to Bournemouth in search of three points.