Manchester United sack Michael Carrick, with Pochettino set to take over

Manchester United sacked head coach Michael Carrick on Thursday, 12 November 2026, less than six months after giving him a two-year contract. The club sits 18th in the Premier League, in the relegation zone, with eight points and one league win from 10 games. United said it had reached "the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions."

Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager who has coached the United States men's national team since September 2024, is finalising a deal to replace him, according to BBC Sport, the Guardian and the Associated Press. At the time of writing neither Manchester United nor U.S. Soccer had formally announced an appointment, so the details below about Pochettino are based on those outlets' reporting and their sources.

What did Manchester United say?

In its statement the club confirmed that Carrick "has departed his role as men's first-team head coach" and said it would "appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible", Al Jazeera reported. United called the 45-year-old a club legend: "Michael is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend. Just as he did as a player, he has conducted himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism throughout his time back with the club. His leadership and achievements last season will always be fondly remembered."

The Guardian reported that Carrick came into work at the Carrington training ground on Thursday morning, as he had all week, with his fate effectively sealed, and that no further first-team training would be held until next week. The Manchester United Supporters' Trust responded that "it is time for the owners to explain themselves", according to BBC Sport.

Why was Carrick sacked?

The short answer is results. United have won three of 15 matches in all competitions this season, against Ipswich Town, Sabah and Roma, according to the Guardian. In the league they have four defeats and five draws to go with that single win over Ipswich in late August, Al Jazeera reported, and BBC Sport described it as the club's worst start to a season in 40 years. They were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the third round by Brighton and sit 17th in the Champions League standings after two wins and two defeats.

The decision followed a review by director of football Jason Wilcox. According to the Guardian and BBC Sport, Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada flew to Monaco this week to meet Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the minority owner who controls the club's sporting policy, and recommend a change. The Guardian said the dismissal was then signed off at a board meeting involving the Glazer family, the majority owners.

Carrick had been given three more games after a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth late in October. In those games United lost 2-0 at Chelsea after Lisandro Martínez was sent off, came from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League, and then twice recovered from two goals behind to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, 8 November, with Patrick Dorgu scoring a stoppage-time equaliser. The Guardian reported the club concluded after those matches that the team was "on the wrong path".

There was also visible friction. Captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick's tactics after a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como, and Martínez criticised the club's summer recruitment and Wilcox after a 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid, according to BBC Sport.

How did it go so wrong after last season?

Carrick, a former United midfielder and captain who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League as a player, took over on an interim basis in January after Ruben Amorim was sacked with the team seventh. He won 12 and drew three of his 17 games, finished third and returned United to the Champions League, which earned him a permanent contract to 2028 in May.

BBC Sport's Manchester United reporter Simon Stone traced the collapse to a mix of injuries, tactical problems and recruitment. Striker Benjamin Sesko began the season still recovering from a shin problem and has started only two games, Amad Diallo was injured before the opening-day defeat at newly promoted Hull City, and Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford have also been out. The £70m signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton did not make his debut until 10 October because of an ankle injury and is now out again with a hamstring problem. United have conceded 30 goals, which Stone wrote is the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues apart from Lens.

Stone also reported that sources close to the squad questioned why the club spent heavily in midfield while leaving left-back and central defence largely untouched, while other club sources defended the recruitment and said the squad is still capable of a top-four finish. Those are competing views from inside the club, and both are reported rather than established fact.

Is Mauricio Pochettino taking the job?

All three outlets reported that a deal is close or agreed. BBC Sport said a deal had been agreed for Pochettino and his staff, and that Berrada had contacted US officials to confirm a release clause in Pochettino's US contract of about £7 million and United's intention to trigger it. The Guardian put the clause at about $10 million (£7.5 million) and said United would have to pay more to bring his staff. His US deal runs to 2030, according to the Guardian.

Pochettino is expected to finish his US duties first. The United States play Haiti in a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final, in Miami on Saturday, 14 November, and in Cincinnati on Tuesday, 17 November, NBC Sports reported. BBC Sport said Pochettino would take his first United training session on 18 or 19 November, while the Guardian expected his first day to be Thursday the 19th.