Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United head coach with Mauricio Pochettino lined up to replace him.
Carrick departs less than six months after signing a two-year contract having overseen the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season with United in the relegation zone after picking up one win in 10 matches.
United have an agreement in place with Pochettino to take over but he is likely to remain in charge of the USA for their Nations League against Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday before starting work.
Sky Sports News understands Pochettino has a £7m release clause in his newly-signed contract with the USA. Talks with the United Soccer Federation are expected to gather pace in the coming days.
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Carrick took training in Manchester on Wednesday as United reached a verbal agreement with Pochettino. Meanwhile, club chiefs were at a Monaco summit with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
That is where the decision to sack Carrick was ratified by Ratcliffe following the recommendation of chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
Carrick’s exit follows United’s 4-4 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, when they fell 2-0 down inside four minutes and then 4-2 down early in the second half before mounting a last-gasp comeback to draw.
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The rescue job followed a similar turnaround to beat Roma in the Champions League last Tuesday but was not enough to convince the United hierarchy to continue with the former midfielder in charge.
Carrick was initially appointed as United boss in January 2026 on a contract until the end of the season, following Ruben Amorim’s sacking earlier in that campaign. He delivered a brilliant run of results, winning 12 of 17 matches to earn a third-place finish in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League.
Carrick was nominated for Premier League Manager of the Season and, on May 22, signed a new contract running to 2028. However, just three wins in 15 matches this term have cost him his job.
United are now looking for an eighth permanent head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 – with Pochettino understood to be ready to take the role.
Former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino has been considered for the United job on three previous occasions, but finally now looks set for the Old Trafford hot seat.
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Neville: United need bigger solution than sacking Carrick
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville to NBC:
“Michael Carrick did that last season – so you can paper over the cracks and get a new manager bounce.
“When the new manager comes in, everybody’s happy for a couple of months and all of a sudden, six months later, it happens again. You can keep changing the manager and thinking that’s going to be the answer. But this has been proven now over 12 years, that’s not the answer.
“It’s rinse and repeat. Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carrick, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, Ralf Rangnick – some of them are world-class managers who have had success. There are a lot of promising young managers there, ex-players who know the club as well.
“None of it has worked because if you’ve got a poor performance department, poor recruitment department, you’ve not got leadership that is strong right through the spine of the football club you will fail. Every organisation in the world will fail if you’ve not got aligned leadership from top to bottom – your board and your ownership right the way through to the person who is stood on the pitch trying to play football.
“There are real issues within that football club. You’ve got people doing those jobs who have never done those jobs before in senior positions.”
Carrick’s turbulent end to United reign
Pressure ramped up on Carrick after a 4-1 thumping by Como in the Champions League, a result which left captainFernandes criticising the club’s coaching staff and Carrick questioning the commitment of his squad.
Fernandes was then dropped for a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth. Carrick was cheered by the Stretford End as he left the pitch at full-time, while his players were booed off by supporters.
Director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada met at the club’s training ground to discuss his future but Carrick continued. A 2-0 defeat at Chelsea featured a red card for LisandroMartinez, who had criticised the club’s hierarchy, accusing them of failing to invest sufficiently in the summer and openly named Wilcox.
A dramatic comeback to beat Roma 3-2 ended a nine-game winless run and United showed their fight to eventually earn a point against Aston Villa. But while Carrick told Sky Sports he would not walk away from the role and expected “to move forward” through the international break, United have moved to change head coach.
Timeline: INEOS’ time in charge at Man Utd so far
December 2023: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to purchase a stake in United is announced.
January 2024: United appoint Omar Berrada from rivals Manchester City as their new chief executive. The move was made by Ratcliffe in consultation with Joel and Avram Glazer but INEOS were the driving force behind the move.
February 2024: Ratcliffe completes deal to acquire 27.7 per cent stake in Manchester United, which gives his company, INEOS, control of football operations.
April 2024: INEOS and Ratcliffe shake-up continued as United appoint Jason Wilcox as technical director after less than a year as director of football at Southampton, which was his first executive role in senior football.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada (centre) and Jason Wilcox
July 2024: Man Utd agree deal with Newcastle United to appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director after a lengthy period of gardening leave.
July 2024: Erik ten Hag is handed a one-year contract extension after winning the FA Cup by beating Manchester City 2-1 in the final. He is backed with the signings of Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Leny Yoro.
July 2024: Christopher Vivell is hired as director of global talent on a temporary basis.
October 2024: United sack manager Ten Hag after winning just four of their 14 games to start the 2024/25 season. United in 14th and Ruud van Nistelrooy appointed as interim boss.
November 2024: Ruben Amorim is confirmed as the club’s new head coach, signing a contract until June 2027. United paid £9.2m to release him from Sporting.
December 2024: Ashworth leaves his role as sporting director after just five months. He oversaw a £200m spend in the transfer market.
December 2024: Wilcox steps into Ashworth’s role as sporting director.
February 2025: Vivell is appointed as permanent director of recruitment.
June 2025: Wilcox is promoted to director of football after Sir Dave Brailsford ends association with the club. He is tasked with overseeing football operations, including recruitment.
January 5 2026: Amorim is sacked after 14 months in charge after winning only 24 of his 63 games in charge. Darren Fletcher is appointed as interim boss.
January 13 2026: Michael Carrick is appointed as head coach until the end of the 2025/26 season.
May 2026: After securing Champions League football and winning 12 of his 17 games in charge, Carrick is rewarded with a two-year deal at Old Trafford.
November 2026: Carrick leaves United following a draw with Aston Villa, which left the club in the Premier League relegation zone after 10 games.