Manchester United have parted ways with head coach Michael Carrick, less than six months after he signed a two-year contract, following the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season. Carrick leaves with United in the relegation zone after managing just one win in 10 matches, with his dismissal ratified by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe at a Monaco summit following a recommendation from chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
Carrick had taken training in Manchester on Wednesday as United reached a verbal agreement with Mauricio Pochettino to succeed him.
Pochettino is expected to remain in charge of the United States for their Nations League fixtures against Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday before taking up the Old Trafford role, with talks with the United Soccer Federation set to intensify in the coming days. The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss, who has previously been considered for the United job on three occasions, has a £7m release clause in his newly signed contract with the USA. United are now searching for an eighth permanent head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013, with Pochettino understood to be ready to accept the position.Carrick’s exit follows Sunday’s dramatic 4-4 draw against Aston Villa, where United trailed 2-0 inside four minutes and 4-2 early in the second half before mounting a late comeback to salvage a point. A similar turnaround had seen them beat Roma in the Champions League last Tuesday, but it was not enough to persuade the hierarchy to persist with the former midfielder. Carrick was initially appointed in January 2026 until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim’s sacking, winning 12 of 17 matches to secure a third-place finish and Champions League qualification. That run earned him a Premier League Manager of the Season nomination and, on May 22, a new deal running to 2028, but just three wins in 15 matches this term ultimately cost him his job.
