Manchester United Sacks Michael Carrick, Targets USMNT Coach Mauricio Pochettino
Manchester United has ousted head coach Michael Carrick with the team in the Premier League relegation zone and agreed in principle to hire U.S. Men's National Team manager Mauricio Pochettino.
⚽Soccer in the USPhoto: The Guardian US Sport
Key points
- Michael Carrick was fired by Manchester United with the club languishing in 18th place in the Premier League.
- USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has reached a framework agreement to take over at Manchester United.
- United will need to pay a release clause of roughly $10 million to release Pochettino from his U.S. Soccer contract.
Manchester United has dismissed head coach Michael Carrick with the team sitting 18th in the Premier League and lined up current United States national team manager Mauricio Pochettino as his replacement. United has managed just one win in its last 11 matches and holds only three victories across all competitions this season.
Carrick's firing follows a strategic review led by director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive officer Omar Berrada, who met with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe before the decision was ratified by the Glazer family. United currently sits third from the bottom of the English top-flight standings, one point behind 17th-placed Coventry, while also sitting 17th in the Champions League. Carrick becomes the second head coach terminated by United in a single calendar year, following Ruben Amorim's exit in January.
Pochettino, who accepted the U.S. job four months after leaving Chelsea in May 2024, has reached a framework agreement to head to Old Trafford. Releasing the former Tottenham and Southampton manager from his national team contract will require United to pay a release clause of approximately $10 million, in addition to expenses for bringing in his coaching staff.
What to watch next: U.S. Soccer supporters will be watching closely to see if Manchester United officially triggers Pochettino's $10 million release clause, which would leave the U.S. Men's National Team seeking a new manager.
Source The Guardian US Sport — theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/12/michael-carrick-sacked-manches… ↗
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