Manchester United Sack Michael Carrick as Pochettino Move Nears

Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick as head coach, the club confirmed on Thursday, bringing an end to a ten-month reign that began with a surge up the table and collapsed into the worst league start in 40 years.

United announced that Carrick, 45, has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach, with the club sitting 18th in the Premier League after taking only eight points from their opening ten matches.

FAKTA

• Decision: Manchester United sacked head coach Michael Carrick on Thursday, 12 November 2026.
• League position: 18th in the Premier League, with eight points from ten matches and one league win.
• Winless run: Eight Premier League matches without a win; three wins in 15 matches in all competitions this season.
• Last match: A 4-4 home draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, 8 November.
• Carrick’s record: 29 matches in charge, with 14 wins, seven draws and eight defeats.
• Successor: Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States, is lined up to take over, with a deal reported to be close.
• Next match: Liverpool away on Sunday, 22 November.

The decision at Carrington

Carrick reported to the club’s Carrington training ground on Thursday morning and was told of the decision in a face-to-face meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. He arrived before 8am and left the complex shortly afterwards.

The decision followed a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday between minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox to review the season. United said in a statement that, after a disappointing start to the season, the club had reached the extremely difficult conclusion that a change was necessary to achieve its ambitions.

Carrick had taken training on Tuesday and Wednesday, and as recently as this week the club had insisted that no final decision had been made. The announcement ends days of intense speculation over his future.

From third place to the relegation zone

Carrick took charge on an interim basis in January after Ruben Amorim’s departure, and his early impact was remarkable. He won 11 of his first 16 matches, beating Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, and lifted United to a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League.

That form earned him the permanent job in May on a contract running to 2028. But the new season unravelled quickly. United won only one of their first ten league matches, and Sunday’s 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, in which they twice surrendered the lead, left them in the relegation zone for the first time at this stage of a season in decades.

Old Trafford at dusk. United sit in the Premier League relegation zone after their worst start to a season in 40 years.

Carrick, who made 464 appearances for United as a player, becomes the seventh permanent manager to be dismissed by the club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and the third since Ratcliffe became a minority owner in 2024.

Pochettino lined up as successor

Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Carrick. The 54-year-old former Tottenham and Chelsea manager is currently head coach of the United States, and a framework is understood to be in place for him to take over at Old Trafford, with reports describing a deal as close.

Pochettino’s contract with US Soccer runs to the 2030 World Cup and is understood to include a release clause worth around 10 million dollars. United intend to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible, with the November international break giving the new manager time to settle in before the season resumes.

What comes next

Whoever takes over inherits a squad short on confidence and a club searching for stability after yet another managerial change. The new head coach’s first match in charge is set to be one of the most demanding fixtures in English football: a trip to Liverpool on 22 November.

For Carrick, the ending is a painful one. Ten months ago he was hailed for reviving a struggling side; now he leaves with United in the bottom three and the club once again starting over. Read more sports news on Watan News English.