Red Devils finally swing the axe with team sitting in Premier League relegation zone after worst start in 40 years

Show caption: Michael Carrick led Manchester United to a third-place finis…

Manchester United are reported to have sacked manager Michael Carrick after the Premier League club suffered their worst start to a campaign in 40 years.

Carrick was only given the job full-time during the summer after guiding United to a third-place finish last season and back into the Uefa Champions League while interim manager.

But the 45-year-old has overseen a disastrous run of one win in 10 Premier League matches leaving them 18th in the table, just a single point above bottom club Crystal Palace and the Red Devils are 10 points shy of the top four.

It has been United's worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1986/87 season, while only Palace (24) and Ipswich Town (20) having conceded more than their 19 goals heading into the international break. They have shipped 30 goals across all competitions, the worst defensive record of any team in Europe's top five leagues.

The Red Devils' next match will see them take on fierce rivals Liverpool and it looks likely with that Mauricio Pochettino will be in the away dugout at Anfield on November 22.

The Argentine is currently coach of the United States national team but reports suggest that Pochettino is keen on taking the United job that will be his fourth in England after previous spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

It will cost United $10 million to release the 54-year-old from his current contract which he only just signed in August that was due to see he remain as US coach until after the 2030 World Cup.

On Sunday, United were involved in a manic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford when United twice fought back from two goals down to rescue a point.

They were two goals down after three minutes and 40 seconds - the earliest they have been 2-0 down in a Premier League game - and have conceded inside two minutes in three of their previous seven matches.

The team at least showed they were fighting for their manager as stoppage-time goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu snatched an unlikely point.

United had been two goals down after 17 minutes in their previous game at home to AS Roma in the Champions League, before fighting back to claim a dramatic victory courtesy of two late strikes from Matheus Cunha.

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Ahead of the Villa game, Carrick had described how "consistency is the key" to United's hopes of returning to the glory days of his old manager Alex Ferguson. After the match, Carrick described United as "the better team" at Old Trafford while insisting he would not be walking away form the job.

"[We are] making it hard for ourselves," he said. "Again, I thought a lot of the performances were very good. We made it challenging for ourselves ... The goals are coming from individual mistakes. We need to tighten up."

Carrick's cause had certainly not been helped by his players making public criticisms of the club in the last few weeks of his reign.

First, defender Lisandro Martinez put his head above the parapet after their 2-0 loss at Atletico Madrid. “I expect more from ​our ⁠technical director. I have ‌to be honest. And also, as players, we ​have to do more,” the Argentine said.

“We had a fantastic season last season ⁠and now we expect more from the top, from ⁠upstairs, to bring in more players to compete, because many teams have brought in many players as well."

Como thrash Man United - in pictures

Then, after a humiliating 4-1 battering at Como, captain Bruno Fernandes would take aim at Carrick's tactics. “It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence,” he said.

The Portuguese was dropped to the bench for the next game at home to Bournemouth only for the team to slump to a 3-0 loss which was quickly followed by a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea. That game saw Fernandes reinstated to the starting XI but Martinez concede a penalty which led to the crucial second goal and his sending off.

Despite all the chaos, Carrick - who played more than 450 games for the club - retained the backing of United supporters who continue to focus their ire on American owners the Glazer family and the decisions of minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe.

Whoever takes over from Carrick will be taking over a team in the relegation zone, with the club in disarray and a fanbase threatening all-out mutiny.