Manchester United ousts Carrick, Pochettino's arrival remains pending
Manchester United confirmed on Thursday the dismissal of Michael Carrick from his position as head coach. The club says that Carrick, who arrived in January, had led the team to third place in the Premier League the previous season. During that same season, the team won twelve of the last seventeen matches, the highest points total over that period.
The Red Devils are considering appointing Mauricio Pochettino, currently United States coach, as successor in order to quickly get out of the Premier League crisis. According to the club, a verbal agreement with Pochettino is already in place, making him the press favorite. Pochettino, 54, will need to be released from his contract with the United States for a compensation of around €8.5 million, a sum that could increase with the staff. Hiring Pochettino would require United to pay close to €10 million, according to recent reports.
New management and costs
The new coach is expected to start his tenure against Liverpool in the Derby of England on 22 November at Anfield. The decision to replace Carrick was taken after a meeting between chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Jason Wilcox and minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe. These executives recommended Carrick's dismissal, whose two‑year contract signed six months earlier remains in force.
United bolsters January squad with two Premier League defenders
Manchester United currently sit in eighteenth place in the Premier League with eight points and only one win in ten games, that win coming against Ipswich at the end of August. Despite the league crisis, the team retains a glimmer of hope in the Champions League where Leny Yoro's partners sit in provisional seventeenth place with two wins and two defeats in four matches. The mocking chants “You’re getting sacked in the morning” will no longer be heard at Old Trafford in the coming weeks. Carrick was still present at training on Wednesday and made a brief appearance on Thursday morning before the official announcement, failing to retain his position.