Michael Carrick Faces Manchester United Sack as Ratcliffe Holds Crisis Talks

Michael Carrick could be sacked as Manchester United head coach before the international break is over, with top club officials holding talks about his future with part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco this week, according to ESPN.

United have won just one Premier League game this season and sit in the relegation zone. The 45-year-old has presided over a miserable start to the campaign, and while club sources say no final decision has been made, he is increasingly likely to lose his job in the coming days.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox will join Ratcliffe for the talks. The meeting was planned well before Sunday’s wild 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, but Carrick’s position is now expected to take over the agenda. Berrada and Wilcox have already held early talks on the situation on Monday.

Carrick is carrying on as normal in the meantime. He and his staff were back at the Carrington training ground on Tuesday morning, while most of the squad are away with their national teams.

If Ratcliffe backs a call to replace him, United already have a shortlist. Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte are all in the frame. 

Howe, Nagelsmann and Conte are currently without a job, which makes them easy to approach. Kieran McKenna, the former Ipswich Town boss, also has admirers inside the club after he was interviewed for the job earlier in 2024. Still, with United stuck in a relegation fight, they are unlikely to turn to a young, up-and-coming coach.

Pochettino is a particularly interesting name. The 54-year-old signed an extension with the USMNT in August, but his deal reportedly has a clause that lets him talk to certain European clubs. He is understood to be very keen on the United job if it becomes free. The former Tottenham boss would be a big get for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Time is tight. If Carrick is dismissed, the change is expected to happen before United play again after the break. That game is a tough trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on November 22.