Nov 12 (Reuters) – Manchester United dismissed manager Michael Carrick on Thursday after a prolonged winless Premier League run culminated in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford last weekend, leaving the struggling team mired in the relegation zone.
United have won only three of their 15 matches in all competitions under Carrick this season — including one league victory — leaving them 18th in the table on eight points after 10 games, one point from the bottom.
“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,” United said in a statement on their website.
Carrick came under mounting pressure after a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth and the former United midfielder carried the air of someone awaiting the inevitable after the defeat when fans chanted his name but booed the players off the pitch.
He had dropped captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench against Bournemouth and did not bring him on even when United were desperate for inspiration in midfield, but the struggling club gave Carrick another chance to revive their season.
Although he restored the playmaker to the starting lineup against Chelsea following clear-the-air talks and spoke of the team’s determination to put things right, little changed as they were comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
A 3-2 comeback win over AS Roma in the Champions League briefly eased the pressure on Carrick, but United’s familiar defensive frailties were exposed again in the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, despite two injury-time goals salvaging a point.
CARRICK’S TENURE
Carrick was appointed on an interim basis following Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January before being handed a contract until 2028 after overseeing a turnaround in the side’s fortunes.
United won 11 of their first 16 matches under Carrick, including victories over Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, to climb to third in the Premier League and secure qualification for the Champions League.
The 45-year-old proved unable to carry that momentum into the new season, however, with United notching wins only against promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League debutants Sabah FK before embarking on a nine-match winless run.
The club praised Carrick for his professional conduct during his managerial tenure, and said they were working towards appointing a permanent successor as soon as possible.
He ultimately became another managerial casualty at Old Trafford after the reigns of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Amorim.
WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?
Carrick is likely to be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino, the US men’s national team coach, who has agreed to take over the newly vacant post, according to reports in British media.
The former Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager is one of the Premier League’s most highly regarded former coaches.
United have not won the English league title since lifting the trophy for the 20th time in 2013 when Alex Ferguson left the club following a trophy-laden 27-year stint as manager.
A daunting trip to Anfield to face rivals Liverpool awaits United after the international break.
Pochettino is expected to remain in charge of the US for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final matches, which would leave the Argentine little time to prepare for his first game in one of English football’s most demanding jobs.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair and Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Additional Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena; editing by Ed Osmond, Toby Chopra and Ken Ferris)
Comments