Manchester United sacked head coach Michael Carrick on Thursday, 12 November, ending a spell of roughly ten months that began as a rescue mission and finished with the club in the Premier League relegation zone. Mauricio Pochettino, currently in charge of the United States national team, is widely expected to take over.
The club's statement
In a short statement, United confirmed that Carrick had "departed his role as men's first-team head coach". The club said that after a disappointing start to the season it had come to "the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary" to achieve its ambitions, described Carrick as a club legend and promised to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible.
According to AFP, the decision was taken at a meeting in Monaco involving co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
A start that could not be ignored
Al Jazeera described it as United's worst league start in 40 years. The numbers behind the decision are stark:
- 8 points from 10 Premier League games, with one win, five draws and four defeats;
- 18th place in the table, inside the relegation zone;
- three wins from 15 matches in all competitions;
- a third-round League Cup exit after a 3-2 defeat by Brighton;
- an opening-day loss to newly promoted Hull City.
Carrick's final game was a chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday. There were also signs of strain in the dressing room: AFP reported that he had dropped captain Bruno Fernandes after the Portuguese criticised his tactics.
From saviour to sacked
Carrick, 45, stepped up in January 2026 after Ruben Amorim was dismissed, inheriting a side sitting seventh. He guided them to a third-place finish and a return to the Champions League, winning 12 of the remaining 17 league games, according to AFP. That run earned him the job on a permanent basis, but the goodwill evaporated quickly once the new campaign began.
Carrick's departure is the latest chapter in a long decline. United have not won the Premier League since Ferguson retired 13 years ago and have been overtaken by Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in that time. Frustration is visible inside the squad too: AFP reported that defender Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the club's hierarchy over a lack of top-quality signings. After the Villa draw, supporters at Old Trafford directed much of their anger at the owners. The Champions League has offered some relief, with two wins and two defeats from four league-phase games.
Pochettino in pole position
Sky Sports reported that United had reached a verbal agreement in principle with Pochettino, who knows English football well from spells at Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea and has also managed Paris Saint-Germain. The complication is his current job: he signed an extension with the USA only a few months ago that runs through the 2030 World Cup, so a release would need to be agreed. Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
United hope to have a new coach in place during the international break. Their next match is away at Liverpool on 22 November, which could be the new man's first game. If Pochettino is confirmed, he will become United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, a figure that sums up how hard the club has found it to rediscover stability.
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