Manchester United Sack Michael Carrick as Worst Start in 40 Years Leaves Club in Relegation Zone

By Sarah Collins | November 12, 2026

Manchester United have sacked head coach Michael Carrick, the club confirmed on Thursday, November 12, after the 20-time English champions made their worst start to a Premier League season.

Carrick, 45, leaves with United 18th in the 20-team table and in the relegation zone, having won only one of their first 10 league matches this season. It is a rapid fall for a manager who was given a permanent two-year contract only in May, after a strong finish to last season as interim coach.

"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."

The club said it intends to "appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible."

A dramatic final match

Carrick's last game in charge was a dramatic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, November 8. The result left United on eight points after 10 league games, one point from the bottom of the table.

Across all competitions this season, United have won only three of 15 matches under Carrick. Reports in the days before the announcement said his departure had become expected during the international break, with the club's hierarchy due to meet to decide his future.

The timing gives United a short window to make a change before their next match, away to long-time rivals Liverpool at Anfield on November 22.

From turnaround to collapse

Carrick first took charge on an interim basis in January, after Ruben Amorim was sacked. In his first 16 games in charge, his side won 11, beating Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. That run lifted United into the Champions League places, and the club finished third last season.

The turnaround earned Carrick the permanent job in May, when he signed a contract until 2028. Less than six months later, that decision has been reversed. The new season brought a prolonged winless run in the league, and late comebacks against Roma and Aston Villa were not enough to save his job.

Carrick is the seventh permanent head coach to be sacked by Manchester United since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, after winning the club's 20th league title. He is also the third to be dismissed since Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner in 2024, a turnover that underlines how unsettled the club has been in the post-Ferguson era.

Who comes next?

No successor has been confirmed. The strongest reported candidate is Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States men's national team.

CNN reported that Pochettino has reached a verbal agreement with the club, while the Associated Press reported on November 11, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, that United had been working on a potential deal to have Pochettino replace Carrick. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision had been made at that point.

Pochettino, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager, is still expected to be in charge of the United States for their matches against Haiti on Saturday and Tuesday, according to CNN.

Sources: Manchester United club statement, Reuters, CNN, Associated Press via The Hindu, Al Jazeera, November 12, 2026. Reports of a verbal agreement with Mauricio Pochettino are unconfirmed by the club at publication.