Representative image. Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
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Why it matters
United are 18th after 16 league games and have dismissed two permanent managers in one calendar year for the first time in 148 years. The next appointment has to work inside a season, not a project.
Manchester United sacked Michael Carrick on Thursday, ten months after appointing him, with the team 18th in the Premier League and three wins from 16 league games this season.
The decision was taken at a board meeting in Monaco on Wednesday involving Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. Carrick, 45, was told at the Carrington training ground on Thursday morning, having taken training on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What United said
In a statement, the club said the change was necessary to meet its ambitions. “Michael is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend,” it said. “Just as he did as a player, he has conducted himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism.”
Carrick is the second permanent manager United have dismissed this year, after Ruben Amorim left in January. That is the first time in the club’s 148-year history that two permanent managers have gone in the same calendar year.
The table made the decision
United are 18th in the 20-team table, one point behind 17th-placed Coventry City and inside the relegation places. Three wins, five draws and eight defeats from 16 league games is a record no United board has tolerated.
Europe has gone the same way. United are 17th in the Champions League league phase, outside the automatic qualification places, and lost 4-1 away to Como. The best result of the past month was a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, from two goals down.
How the first ten months turned
Carrick took interim charge after Amorim’s exit in January and won 12 of his 17 league games, drawing three, to finish third and qualify for the Champions League. That run earned him a three-year contract until June 2028.
The underlying numbers moved in the other direction once this season began. Senior players questioned the tactical set-up after the Como defeat, and captain Bruno Fernandes expressed frustration over the defensive structure. Lisandro Martinez had also raised concerns about decisions taken by the football department under Wilcox.
The turnover behind the table
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013, United have appointed eight different permanent or interim managers: David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Carrick. None has won the Premier League.
Across 33 matches in charge, Carrick won 15, drew eight and lost ten, a win rate of 45.5%. Twelve of those wins came in the interim spell last season; this season has produced three in 16 league games.
The club has spent heavily in successive summer windows and still lacks a settled playing identity, which is what the next manager inherits along with the highest wage bill in English football.
What comes next
United are in talks with Mauricio Pochettino, who is under contract as head coach of the United States men’s national team. The club has spent the past several days working on the legal and compensation terms needed to release him, and wants an appointment before domestic fixtures resume next weekend.
An interim coaching team will take training until the appointment is confirmed. The new manager inherits a squad that has won three of 16 league games and a run of fixtures that offers little room to settle in.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Manchester United sack Michael Carrick?
United are 18th in the Premier League after three wins from 16 league games, and lost 4-1 away to Como in the Champions League.
Who will replace Michael Carrick at United?
The club is in talks with Mauricio Pochettino, who is under contract as head coach of the United States men’s national team.