Manchester United Sack Michael Carrick After One Win in 10 League Games, Pochettino Lined Up

Since Michael Carrick was handed the permanent job in May on a contract running to 2028, Manchester United have gone from Champions League qualifiers to the relegation zone. On Thursday, Nov. 12, the club ended it.

United confirmed that Carrick has "departed his role as men's first-team head coach." The club said it "intends to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible."

The numbers behind the decision

United have won once in 10 Premier League games this season. That is the club's worst league start in 40 years, and the win, over newly promoted Ipswich in August, came a long time ago. All three promoted sides now sit above United.

The club is 18th, a point behind 17th-placed Coventry. In the Champions League standings United are 17th.

Across all competitions Carrick won just three games this season: Ipswich, Sabah and Roma, all at home. Last month's defeats to Como and Bournemouth reportedly bought him three games to save his job, according to the Daily Mirror.

The response was two comebacks in four days. United beat Roma, then twice came back from two goals down to draw 4-4 at home with Aston Villa last Sunday. It was not enough.

How the decision was made

The call followed a review led by director of football Jason Wilcox, with a recommendation to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls sporting policy. Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada met Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday.

The Guardian reported that the sacking was then signed off at a board meeting involving the Glazer family. The Mirror also reported that Ratcliffe and the Glazers approved the recommendation.

Carrick kept taking training on Tuesday and Wednesday and arrived at Carrington on Thursday morning, where he was told. The London Evening Standard reported that Berrada and Wilcox delivered the news in person. No further training is planned until next week.

The club's statement called Carrick "a Manchester United legend" and praised his "highest standards of dedication and professionalism." It also said "a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions."

What Carrick leaves behind

Carrick returned in January as interim coach and turned the season around. He won 12, drew three and lost two of his 17 league games, and United finished third. That was the league's best points haul over that stretch, according to the club.

Then came the permanent deal. Since then the picture has been ugly. Club captain Bruno Fernandes has made public outbursts, and fans have turned on players.

NBC Sports pointed to a lack of summer additions in defense and key players lashing out at the club hierarchy as part of the slide.

Supporters are not pinning it on Carrick. The Manchester United Supporters Trust hit out at the owners, calling the sacking another "depressing moment" at Old Trafford. NBC Sports reported that fans are blaming the ownership, Wilcox and Berrada for the mess.

Those are the same people who ran the review that ended Carrick's tenure. The club has not responded to the fan criticism.

Pochettino and the next fixture

The Guardian reported that Mauricio Pochettino, the U.S. men's national team coach, has a framework agreement with United. The hope was to settle final details on Thursday. CNN reported a verbal agreement. United have not announced him.

Pochettino's release clause is about $10 million (£7.5 million), according to the Guardian, the Mirror and the Evening Standard. Sky Sports put it at £7 million. The Guardian said United will owe more to take his staff. Sky said talks with U.S. Soccer are at the "paperwork and regulatory processes" stage.

Pochettino is expected to coach the U.S. in its Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti on Saturday and again on Tuesday. He would then join United in time for the trip to Liverpool at Anfield, the first game after the international break. The Guardian reported that he should be at Carrington next week to prepare.

He managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea in the Premier League. He left Chelsea in May 2024 and took the U.S. job four months later. If appointed, he would be United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, per Sky Sports. CNN counts Carrick as the seventh permanent head coach United have sacked in that span.

Other names were in play. The Guardian reported that Eddie Howe, out of work since leaving Newcastle in July, was on Wilcox's radar. It also said the former Germany and Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann was the initial choice of recruitment director Christopher Vivell.

What is still open

United have not yet confirmed a successor or a start date. The Liverpool game, with Pochettino given only days with the squad, is the first test of whether the change can stop the slide. The club is one point from safety.

Pochettino also has to finish a handover that leaves him coaching two U.S. matches before he can work with the United squad.