Sportsupdated 28m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 12 April 2025Manchester United Sacks Michael Carrick After Premier League Relegation-Zone Run
“hampered by the club's underwhelming recruitment”
“United have endured four losses and five draws”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Manchester United sacked Michael Carrick as head coach amid relegation-zone start. Club planned to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as successor.
Save coverage image
Carrick sacked at Old Trafford
Manchester United sacked Michael Carrick as men’s first-team head coach after a run that left the club in the Premier League relegation zone.
United said in a statement, "Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men's first-team head coach", and the club added that "a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions."
Carrick’s final match in charge ended in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, after United were 4-2 down and then scored twice in stoppage time.
Pochettino was close to an agreement with Manchester United and United made contact with the U.S. Soccer Federation as it pushed forward with plans to hire him as Carrick’s successor.
The BBC described Carrick’s last game as a dramatic late draw, and it said the result did not lift United out of the relegation zone.
Review, Monaco meeting, and figures
Carrick met executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox at Carrington on Thursday morning after a meeting between Berrada, Wilcox and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday. A "comprehensive review" concluded that during the following three games against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa there was not enough evidence to suggest the team "was on the right path." The BBC said United took 44 hours to communicate to the wider world that it was sticking with Carrick after the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth two weeks before.
Carrick’s future was believed to be decided on Wednesday during a meeting in Monaco involving co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. Wilcox and United’s CEO, Omar Berrada, travelled to Monaco to meet with Ratcliffe, and Carrick’s sacking was then signed off at a board meeting involving the Glazer family.
Pochettino lined up, next fixtures
Manchester United said it intended to appoint a permanent successor "as quickly as possible" after Carrick’s departure, and Pochettino was close to taking over.
Pochettino has a £7m release clause in his newly-signed contract with the USA, and United expected to pay around £7m to buy him out.
Pochettino would have an enormous task to revive a club that has never recovered from the departure of Alex Ferguson 13 years ago, and United’s next game is against Liverpool at Anfield on November 22.
The BBC said a managerial change was expected during the international break, with a new face likely to lead United on their trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on November 22.
Pochettino will oversee the United States’ next two games against Haiti on Nov. 14 and Nov. 17 in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, before starting work next Thursday.
