Ex-PL club chief: Michael Carrick in 'very hard' position thanks to 'legacy of mistakes' at Man United

Manchester United are beginning to pay for their mistakes of previous years after qualifying for the Champions League.

That is the view of Keith Wyness, as the former Everton chief executive speaks exclusively to Football Insider on Man United’s Champions League clause in player contracts.

Most Man United players are set to earn a pay rise after the club qualified for next season’s Champions League thanks to a third-placed finish in the Premier League table.

That means midfielder Mason Mount, whose time at Old Trafford has been disrupted by injuries, is now set to earn a wage of £250,000 a week.

That could put Man United in a difficult position if they wished to sell Mount this summer, whom the club paid £55million for from Chelsea in 2023.

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Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Man United have been too eager to get deals over the line in the past, and that is now coming back to haunt them.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Carrick will be under pressure to get Mount back to his best next season.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It goes back to when Mount was bought and the people who negotiated that contract.

“There’s still a legacy of a lot of mistakes that are probably lying in those contracts that United still have to handle. It’s very tough because it’s so easy to do a quick deal and get something just to get a player in that everybody seems to want at the time.

“But believe me, it’s a long time for those things to unravel, and you have that headache for a long, long time. This is one of those that they realised was a mistake at the time. They always thought he was going to be a key factor in getting them into the Champions League.

“As we know, the story’s been completely different. He’s had injuries, he hasn’t hit form. So, this will be up to Michael Carrick now to try and rectify that mistake by getting the best out of him.

“It’s going to be very hard to move Mount on in that position.”

Mount’s future at Man United could be under threat if the club manage to sign a new midfielder this summer.

With Casemiro departing, the club have made it known that they wish to strengthen their ranks in the middle of the park, with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson a top target.

Former chief scout at Old Trafford Mick Brown told Football Insider that Man United have received a boost in the race to sign Anderson over rivals Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s departure from Man City may alter their summer transfer plans, and could make Anderson think twice about moving to the Etihad.

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