Manchester United appears to be nearing a conclusion on the tenure of head coach Michael Carrick, with mounting pressure to remove the 45-year-old from his position. Despite management opting to retain Carrick after a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on October 25, sources indicate that key board members are now expected to recommend his departure to minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family. But decided the Englishman – and his players – had earned the opportunity to show that they could turn the club’s fortunes around, united’s board toyed with sacking Carrick after the loss to Bournemouth. It makes for poor reading, unfortunately for Carrick. It is hard to believe given the club’s current predicament just how quickly Carrick’s tenure has soured. Former Norway and Middlesbrough striker Jan Aage Fjortoft later claimed United had lacked passion – something Carrick dismissed as “ridiculous”, in his role as interviewer for Nordic broadcaster Viaplay.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are anticipated to lead these discussions. Although the club previously intended to assess the manager’s performance during the upcoming international break, the situation has intensified following a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday. That result left United 18th in the Premier League, marking their most challenging start to a domestic campaign in 40 years.
Carrick, who signed a two-year contract last summer, has seen his side secure only one win across their opening 10 league matches. The team is currently one point above last-placed Crystal Palace, having conceded 19 goals—a defensive record surpassed only by the Eagles and Ipswich Town. While United’s board previously allowed the manager time to reverse the downward trend, the mixed results of his last three games—a win, a loss, and a draw—have not eased concerns. With one victory in 10 Premier League matches, United have made their worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1986/87 season. Looking back, the 48 hours before United’s season-opening match at Hull were pivotal. With Bryan Mbeumo having to play on the right of the attack, it meant Carrick was deprived of his first-choice striking alternative. It neutralised United’s attack on a day they seemed ill-prepared to meet the physical challenge of an opponent motivated by their long-awaited Premier League return. It’s one game,” Carrick told the media afterwards. Who had just been crowned PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26, went on to complete a hat-trick in a 5-2 win, the Portugal playmaker. They struggled badly against a Manchester City side reduced to 10 men in the first half before their rivals benefited from an Erling Haaland goal that referees’ chief Howard Webb later admitted should not have stood. Only a slip from Marcelino Nunez inside his own half allowed Cunha to tee up Fernandes for an undeserved equaliser. The second occasion when Sesko struck two minutes from full-time after coming on as a substitute, twice United led. And his coaching staff – lauded months earlier – could not find an answer, the fine margins United benefited from during Carrick’s interim spell were now going against them.
Replacements are already being discussed, with reports suggesting the club previously engaged with former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann.
Additionally, former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is considered interested in the vacancy, and sources indicate that current USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino is open to a move to Old Trafford.
While Pochettino recently extended his contract with the US team in August, the agreement reportedly contains exit clauses for high-profile opportunities, ahead of the US national team’s Concacaf Nations League play-offs against Haiti on November 14 and 18. However, the deal is thought to contain clauses that would allow him to leave for specific high-profile jobs.
The current crisis traces back to a difficult pre-season, where injuries to Benjamin Sesko and Amad Diallo hampered preparations. The tactical adjustments forced by these absences, including a reliance on Matheus Cunha, often left captain Bruno Fernandes isolated. Early-season frustrations peaked after losses to newly promoted Ipswich and a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, during which defender Lisandro Martinez publicly criticized the club’s summer recruitment strategy and the technical direction provided by Wilcox. With Benjamin Sesko still trying to ease his way back from the shin issue that ended his previous campaign early, Amad Diallo suffered an ankle injury that would rule him out for seven weeks. Whose preference for dropping deep took him into the spaces captain Bruno Fernandes likes to occupy, carrick instead turned to Matheus Cunha.
Throughout the campaign, United has struggled with both fitness and defensive consistency.
In a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como, the team conceded in the opening two minutes.
Similarly, defensive lapses were evident in a 2-0 EFL Cup exit to Brighton and a last-gasp draw against a 10-man Tottenham side. The whirlwind was starting to pick up strength.
Despite Carrick’s assertions that the team displays character and his dismissal of criticism regarding a lack of passion, the statistical reality remains stark: the side has managed only three wins in 15 matches across all competitions this season.
As the international break approaches, the club’s leadership faces a definitive moment. While no formal final decision has been ratified, the prevailing expectation is that Carrick will pay the price for a period of instability that saw United drop points from winning positions on multiple occasions, failing to build on the marginal gains realized during his brief interim period in charge last season. According to multiple sources have, Sport that the board remain committed to that process, and that no final decision on Carrick’s future has been made. Man Utd score twice in stoppage-time to share points in eight-goal thriller. Deep into stoppage time, Ainsley Maitland-Niles drove home from long range to deny the visitors.
