Shearer tips Leeds to beat Man United: “no faith or confidence”

Alan Shearer expects Leeds to beat Manchester United at Elland Road this weekend, saying he has “no faith or confidence in Man United”. He adds that the players are still playing for Michael Carrick.

Shearer’s weekend predictions, as reported by Read Newcastle on 16 October 2026, contain plenty of caution. The line that will travel furthest concerns United. According to that report, Shearer tips Leeds to win at home and says: “I’ve got no faith or confidence in Man United”. The same account notes that he still believes the squad is playing for its manager, Carrick.

That distinction matters. Shearer is not, on this evidence, saying the dressing room has given up. He is saying that belief in the team as a whole is thin, and that a fixture away at a side with momentum is the kind of afternoon on which that shows. We have only the Read Newcastle summary of his column, so the rest of this piece paraphrases rather than quotes.

The rest of Shearer’s card

United are one of nine fixtures in the round-up, and the picks give a sense of how he is reading the league. He expects a draw between Everton and Chelsea. He is unimpressed by Chelsea’s defence but rates their front three, and he sees Everton’s unbeaten run continuing. He gives Newcastle a narrow edge against Aston Villa, expecting a bounce-back after their heavy defeat on Monday and more inconsistency from Villa. He says Tottenham must beat Coventry or face another relegation fight, and that a win would be a huge relief for Roberto De Zerbi.

Seen against that, the United call is not an outlier. Shearer is comfortable backing the side he thinks has the stronger recent shape, and he is blunt about those who do not.

An argument with a history

The Carrick question has divided pundits since the day he took over. When he was named interim head coach in January, ESPN reported Gary Neville saying on his Stick to Football podcast: “There cannot be any consideration that Michael takes the job beyond this season, for Michael and for the club.” Roy Keane, speaking to Sky Sports after Carrick’s first game, said “Let’s judge it over the next few months”, as also reported by ESPN.

Those comments are nine months old, and Carrick is now described as manager, so the situation has moved on. But the underlying tension has not. One camp wants evidence over time before it believes anything. Another is willing to credit performances as they arrive. Shearer’s latest line puts him closer to the sceptics on the team’s overall conviction, while stopping short of blaming the players or the manager.

The counter-view, in the January debate at least, came from Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards, who were keen to praise United’s manner of victory, according to Sports Illustrated. Whether they still hold that view this autumn is not something we have confirmed, so we do not attribute it to them now.

What to watch

Pundits tend to be at their most useful when their predictions can be tested. Shearer has put a clear marker down: he thinks Leeds win. If United respond, the “no faith” line will look harsh. If they do not, it will look like an early read of a problem that is bigger than one result.

For more on how the Carrick debate has developed this month, see our pieces on a former scout’s take on Keane and Carragher’s Carrick verdict and Nicky Butt’s comments about Carrick.