Manchester United have sacked head coach Michael Carrick after the club’s worst start to a Premier League season in four decades, with the team languishing in the relegation zone and Mauricio Pochettino expected to replace him.
The decision was confirmed on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after Carrick met with executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox at Carrington following a review led by director of football Wilcox and a recommendation to minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe .
“Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach,” the club said in a statement .
“After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions. Michael is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend. Just as he did as a player, he has conducted himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism throughout his time back with the club” .
Carrick’s fall from grace has been startlingly swift. He initially took charge on an interim basis in January 2026 following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, winning 12 of his 17 matches to guide United to a third-placed finish and Champions League qualification .
That form earned him a two-year contract in May. But the current campaign has been a disaster: United have taken just eight points from 10 Premier League games, with their only win coming against Ipswich Town in August . They sit 18th in the table, one point from safety, and have conceded 19 goals without keeping a single clean sheet .
The final blow was Sunday’s chaotic 4-4 draw against Aston Villa, where United twice came back from two goals down but still failed to climb out of the bottom three .
Carrick’s overall record stands at 32 games, 15 wins, eight draws and nine losses . He leaves as the shortest-serving permanent manager in United’s history, surpassing Clarence Hilditch’s 33-match reign in the 1920s .
United have moved quickly to secure Carrick’s replacement. Mauricio Pochettino, the current United States men’s national team coach, has emerged as the club’s preferred candidate and is understood to have a framework agreement in place .
Pochettino, 54, has a release clause of approximately $10 million (£7.5 million) in his USMNT contract, which runs until 2030 . United would also need to pay additional compensation for his coaching staff .
The Argentine has Premier League experience with Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain. He led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final .
Other names linked with the role included Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte, but Pochettino moved ahead of the competition in recent days .
Carrick’s departure means United have now sacked managers midway through each of the last three seasons: Erik ten Hag in October 2024 and Amorim in January 2026 .
The club has not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and has been overtaken by Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in the years since .
United’s next game is against fierce rivals Liverpool at Anfield on November 22, a fixture that could define Pochettino’s early tenure if he is appointed in time .
