Manchester United look increasingly likely to dismiss head coach Michael Carrick, with senior club hierarchy expected to formalise the recommendation during the current international break. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are anticipated to advise minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family to remove the 45-year-old from his post following Sunday's chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. While the board had resolved to stick by Carrick after a 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth on 25 October to assess the campaign during November's hiatus, no definitive call has been officially signed off yet despite growing momentum for his exit.
Carrick, who penned a two-year agreement at Old Trafford last summer, has overseen United's worst start to a top-flight domestic season in 40 years. The Red Devils occupy 18th place in the Premier League table with just a solitary victory from 10 matches, hovering a single point above bottom-placed Crystal Palace. United have shipped 19 league goals—a defensive record worse than every club except Palace and Ipswich—and Carrick has mustered only three victories across 15 fixtures in all competitions. Although granted three matches to salvage his tenure after the Bournemouth debacle, the team managed a solitary win, a draw, and a defeat, repeatedly displaying defensive vulnerability despite fighting back from two-goal deficits on three separate occasions.
The club's campaign swiftly unravelled following early selection difficulties prior to their curtain-raiser against Hull, where Amad Diallo incurred a seven-week ankle injury and Benjamin Sesko managed an ongoing shin problem. Friction soon mounted behind the scenes and spilled onto the pitch. After an earlier 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, defender Lisandro Martinez voiced sharp frustration over summer recruitment and placed responsibility on Wilcox. Dressing room harmony deteriorated further when captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised Carrick's tactical approach following a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como, resulting in the Portuguese playmaker being dropped against Bournemouth before returning with the armband in a defeat at Chelsea.
With United preparing to conclude their internal review, several high-profile managerial options have already been explored to succeed Carrick. The Old Trafford board sounded out former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and ex-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann in October, while former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is keen on taking over. United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino is also understood to be receptive to a switch to Old Trafford; despite signing an extension with the US in August, the former Tottenham manager's deal reportedly includes exit clauses for select elite positions, even as his current side prepares for a two-legged Concacaf Nations League play-off against Haiti on 14 and 18 November.
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