Manchester United Turn to Mauricio Pochettino After Sacking Michael Carrick in Relegation Crisis

Manchester United sacked head coach Michael Carrick on Thursday morning, marking the first time in club history that two managers have been dismissed in a single calendar year.

The decision leaves United in the Premier League relegation zone and lines up current United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino to take over at Old Trafford.

United sit 18th in the Premier League table, one point behind 17th-placed Coventry, after winning just once in their opening 10 league matches. That run represents the club's worst-ever start to a Premier League season.

Carrick departs less than six months after signing a two-year contract running until 2028. His dismissal follows the January 5 sacking of Ruben Amorim, who was fired after 14 months and 24 wins in 63 matches.

Club chiefs finalized Carrick's exit during a summit in Monaco with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls sporting policy through his company, INEOS. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox traveled to Monaco to recommend the change following a performance review, and a board meeting involving the Glazer family later signed off on the move.

Carrick arrived at the Carrington training ground on Thursday morning as he had all week, waving to cameras before his departure was confirmed. Coaches Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate are also expected to leave the setup.

"After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions," Manchester United said in a statement.

The club added that Carrick remains a club legend who conducted himself with the "highest standards of dedication and professionalism" and noted that his achievements last season will be fondly remembered.

United now have a framework agreement in place to appoint Pochettino, who will become the club's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Pochettino, who previously managed Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, was considered for the United job on three earlier occasions. He took the United States job in September 2024, four months after leaving Chelsea.

Reports differ slightly on the cost of releasing Pochettino from his newly signed contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, with estimates placing his release clause between £7 million and £7.5 million ($10 million). United will also have to pay additional compensation to bring in his coaching staff.

Talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation are expected to accelerate in the coming days. Pochettino is likely to remain in charge of the American side for their Nations League matches against Haiti on Saturday and next Wednesday before starting work in Manchester next Thursday.

Wilcox had also considered former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who has been out of work since July, while director of recruitment Christopher Vivell initially favored former Germany and Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Carrick originally took over on January 13, 2026, following a brief interim spell by Darren Fletcher. He earned a Premier League Manager of the Season nomination after winning 12 and drawing three of his 17 games in charge last season to secure a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.

His fortunes collapsed this term, with United winning only three of 15 matches across all competitions, home victories against Ipswich, Sabah and Roma. The club also sits 17th in the Champions League standings.

Following a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth, club officials gave Carrick three matches to prove he could turn the season around. A 2-0 loss at Chelsea, a dramatic comeback win over Roma and Sunday's 4-4 home draw against Aston Villa—where United twice recovered from two-goal deficits—failed to convince the hierarchy.

Internal friction also clouded Carrick's final weeks. Captain Bruno Fernandes challenged Carrick's strategy after a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como, while defender Lisandro Martínez criticized Wilcox.

Former United defender Gary Neville warned that firing another manager will not fix the club's deeper issues. Speaking to​ NBC, Neville described the pattern since Ferguson's retirement as "rinse and repeat."

"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," Neville said.

The coaching change continues a period of heavy restructuring since Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7 percent stake in the club in February 2024. Since then, INEOS has overhauled the executive team, hiring Berrada from Manchester City, promoting Wilcox twice after former sporting director Dan Ashworth left after just five months, and appointing Vivell permanently in February 2025.