Manchester United fires Carrick; path clear for Pochettino

Manchester United announced the dismissal of Michael Carrick, a club legend, as head coach following the serious on-field crisis facing the English team, one of the most successful and historic clubs in the world of soccer.

To date, Manchester United has recorded the worst start to a season in its recent history, with eight points from 10 Premier League matches and currently in the relegation zone for England's second division.

"Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach," the club said in a statement.

"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 added, stating that "intends to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible."

Carrick, who previously spent 12 seasons as a player with the Red Devils, took over as Manchester United's head coach in January of this year, leading the team to finish in UEFA Champions League qualifying positions at the end of last season.

However, the positive momentum the team had built under Carrick's leadership began to falter at the start of this season. With a quarter of the 2026–2027 Premier League season completed, Manchester United is in 18th place, in the relegation zone.

As noted in its statement, the club will move quickly to find his replacement. The leading candidate is Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, according to various sports media outlets around the world. The Argentinian-born coach could terminate his contract with the U.S. men's national team in the coming hours or days to take the helm at United and get the club back on track.