FOOTBALL – Manchester United dismissed manager Michael Carrick yesterday after a prolonged winless Premier League run culminated in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford last weekend, leaving the struggling team mired in the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, US men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is finalising a deal to replace Carrick, according to multiple reports
The club made formal contact with US Soccer on Wednesday regarding Pochettino, who managed Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea before taking the USMNT position in 2024. He led the Americans to the Round of 16 at this summer’s Fifa World Cup in North America.
United have won only three of their 15 matches in all competitions under Carrick this season – including one league victory – leaving them 18th in the table on eight points after 10 games, one point from the bottom.
“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,” United said in a statement on their website.
Carrick came under mounting pressure after a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth and the former United midfielder carried the air of someone awaiting the inevitable after the defeat when fans chanted his name but booed the players off the pitch.
He had dropped captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench against Bournemouth and did not bring him on even when United were desperate for inspiration in midfield, but the struggling club gave Carrick another chance to revive their season.
Although he restored the playmaker to the starting lineup against Chelsea following clear-the-air talks and spoke of the team’s determination to put things right, little changed as they were comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
A 3-2 comeback win over AS Roma in the Champions League briefly eased the pressure on Carrick, but United’s familiar defensive frailties were exposed again in the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, despite two injury-time goals salvaging a point.
Carrick was appointed on an interim basis following Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January before being handed a contract until 2028 after overseeing a turnaround in the side’s fortunes.
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