The chaos that took Carrick from two-year deal to sacked within 15 games

It was just after 6pm on Sunday, 8 November when the message landed. Manchester United were 4-2 down to Aston Villa, and Old Trafford was resigned to defeat. The plea came from someone who knows Michael Carrick well, has worked with him and understands at first hand the pressures of life in the United goldfish bowl. United scored twice in stoppage time to salvage a 4-4 draw.

Carrick celebrated Patrick Dorgu's equaliser by raising an arm in the air. After that, he walked round the pitch on what has turned out to be a final lap of appreciation. As the United supporters sang his name, Carrick placed himself in the middle of his players to ensure the fans did not turn on them in the way they had done after the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth two weeks before. To get this far is longer than many envisaged.

It seemed there was no way Carrick could survive the Bournemouth debacle. United took 44 hours to communicate to the wider world they were sticking with him then, though it is understood Carrick was told the day before.