Retour
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live reaction blog following the sacking of Michael Carrick as Manchester United head coach!
The Red Devils reportedly relieved Carrick of his duties on Thursday morning, and current USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to take over as his successor in due course.
We will bring you all the reaction and latest news coming out of Carrington below!
Carrick has been given the boot by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and the Glazer family after a measly one win in 10 Premier League games left the club 18th in the Premier League table.
The Red Devils' current ranking is their lowest position after 10 games of a top-flight season since 1986-87, when they were 20th, and a paltry eght points from 10 matches is the clearest case against him. Furthermore, they have also gone eight league games without a win.
Carrick's United after 10 Premier League games
1Win
8Points
18thPosition
8Games without a win
A 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on October 25 had already put his job at risk, yet he was given longer; that reprieve brought a defeat by Chelsea, a chaotic 3-2 Champions League win over Roma and an absorbing 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on November 8.
United needed a 96th-minute Patrick Dorgu equaliser to rescue that point after twice trailing by two goals, but the attacking numbers were not the problem, as United out-created Villa on expected goals.
However, conceding four at home showed a defensive flaw that Carrick never solved.
Context mattered, though, as Carrick took over from the doomed Ruben Amorim in January and led United to third place and Champions League football in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign, but that credit in the bank was ultimately not enough.
Now, Pochettino is set to take over after an agreement in principle was reached this week.
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss signed a new USMNT contract through 2030 after reaching the World Cup round of 16, though, so United must meet his reported £7.4m release clause.
Should Pochettino also wish to bring his backroom staff with him, Man United could end up forking out close to £10m for his services.
The Argentine's first match in charge is expected to be at Liverpool on Sunday, November 22 - nothing short of a baptism of fire upon his return to English football.
After transforming Tottenham Hotspur into Champions League finalists, Pochettino spent a year and a half with Paris Saint-Germain and one season with Chelsea in 2023-24, but he could only muster a sixth-placed Premier League finish with the Blues.