Live updates, reaction as Man United sack Michael Carrick as manager

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Nov 12, 2026, 06:28 AM ET

Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United head coach after the club dropped into the Premier League relegation zone (18th) with just one league win in 10 games (five draws, four losses) -- their worst-ever start to a league season.

A rollercoaster 4-4 draw was saved late at Old Trafford against Aston Villa at the weekend, and came after a 3-2 win from 2-0 down against Roma in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but it was not enough to save Carrick from the sack.

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino is the favored candidate to replace Carrick, with the United hierarchy -- led by co-chairman Joel Glazer, minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox -- assessing options in the coming days.

Follow along for the latest reaction to the news.

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Who should replace Carrick at Man United?

Mauricio Pochettino

Antonio Conte

Eddie Howe

Julian Nagelsmann

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Should he stay or should he go?

That's the question on the minds of soccer fans on both sides of the Atlantic, with news that Manchester United could turn to U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino as the replacement for the Michael Carrick.

Pochettino has spoken of his desire to return to European club management. Now, though, U.S. soccer fans face the very real possibility of him packing his bags and going long before the 2030 expiration on the contract he signed in August.

If he does leave, U.S. Soccer has a number of questions to answer.

ESPN gets a head start on some of those questions by posing them to our U.S. correspondents Jeff Carlisle, Cesar Hernandez and Lizzy Becherano.

Manchester United waited days to sack Michael Carrick as manager, but they weren't the only ones weighing up a change in the dugout.

Crystal Palace have fired manager Pierre Sage after just five months in charge.

(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Right around this time every year, you can start to feel it. The air gets a little crisper. The shadows get a little colder. The days get shorter. The tree colors start to pop. You start wearing sweaters. Pumpkins appear in places where they do and do not belong.

Our tiny little rituals prime us to anticipate the inevitable, oncoming shift: that moment when Manchester United fire their manager and convince themselves that the new guy is finally going to be the one who fixes everything.

But given how many different coaches have now failed since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, it makes you wonder: Could anyone have been successful at Manchester United?

Here's a trip through the looking glass at what could have been.

Read more

Fulham defender Antonee Robinson said the United States men's national team players are not distracted by news linking U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino to job with Manchester United ahead of this month's Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series vs. Haiti.

"As a soccer player, we're pretty used to sort of fast training environments and games...so we're all very good at just focusing on the next task and about the next session or the next game coming up," Robinson said on Tuesday. "For me personally, I don't really look at it."

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Michael Carrick performed excellently as a caretaker and impressed the club hierarchy, but doubts over Manchester United's performances and identity never fully disappeared.

Here's how Carrick won the Manchester United job, then lost it 10 months later.

Peter Schmeichel has criticised Manchester United for their "disrespectful" treatment of Michael Carrick as the club continue to be linked with Mauricio Pochettino.

Former United goalkeeper Schmeichel believes the problems at the club stem from above Carrick, and that the under-pressure boss should get the chance to bring in his own players when the January transfer window opens.

"I absolutely do feel sympathy for him. I think the way this is playing out is very disrespectful to him," Schmeichel told 'The Overlap Daily.'

"If I'm honest, I don't think he's doing anything wrong. I know the team that he's in charge of is where they are in the table, but I don't put all of that on him.

"There are so many things that have been going on at Manchester United literally since Sir Alex [Ferguson] and David Gill left the club. And it's never been corrected.

Carrick was informed of the decision at Carrington on Thursday morning.

Sources have told ESPN that after heavy back-to-back defeats to Como and Bournemouth last month, club bosses wanted to give Carrick and the players "a further opportunity" to turn things around.

During what has been described as a "comprehensive review" it was decided that during the following three games against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa there wasn't enough evidence to suggest the team "was on the right path."

United sources have told ESPN that the decision to sack Carrick has been made because being 18th in the Premier League after 10 games is "not acceptable" and that the squad is "far better than results and performances so far this season have indicated."

There has been criticism about the lack of clarity around Carrick's position and the optics of him leading training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday amid mounting talk that he was set for the sack. However, club sources have told ESPN that plans for non-international players to train this week were in place more than a month ago.

(Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Here is Manchester United's 142-word statement in full:

"Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach.

"Michael rejoined the club in January and guided the team to a third-placed Premier League finish by winning 12 out of the remaining 17 games of the 2025/26 season, accumulating the highest points tally in the league during that period.

"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.

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

(Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Manchester United have made contact with U.S. Soccer ahead of triggering Mauricio Pochettino's $10 million release clause as they close on a deal to hire the USMNT manager to replace Michael Carrick, sources told ESPN.

It will likely cost United another $2 million to hire Pochettino's staff, including long-time assistant Jesus Perez.

Pochettino is preparing for two USMNT games against Haiti, one on Nov. 14 and another on Nov. 17, in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

A source told ESPN that U.S. Soccer said it expects Pochettino to oversee the two games against Haiti, the first for the Americans since winning all four matches during the Sept./Oct. international window.

Read more.

Carrick's stint in charge at Manchester United can be described as brief, if nothing else.

He has taken charge of just 16 games since being given the permanent job in May, but how does that compare to his predecessors?

(Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

Manchester United have sacked manager Michael Carrick, ending his tenure after just 10 months.

Carrick was initially hired to be an interim manager in January, but he was given the permanent job in May after a remarkable run in which he won 11 of 16 games and qualified for the Champions League.

However, amid the club's worst-ever start to a Premier League season, Carrick has departed Old Trafford.

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