Michael Carrick
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.
In a statement on Thursday morning, shortly after Carrick left the training ground, United said they reached “the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions”.
United, who have an agreement in place with USA head coach Pochettino, say they intend to appoint a permanent successor “as quickly as possible”. He is set to be the eighth permanent appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
As things stand, the Argentine is likely to remain in charge of the USA for their Nations League against Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday before starting work next Thursday.
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.
United’s hierarchy, including Wilcox and Berrada, are understood to feel that the current squad is much better than results and performances have shown.