Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United manager just three months into the new season, with the club sitting 18th in the Premier League table. The decision came on Thursday morning, after three days of speculation following a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, which proved to be Carrick's final match in charge. Club officials Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox informed him of the decision. The former United head coach had been permanently appointed in May after leading the Reds back to the Champions League last season, but the team's form collapsed this campaign, with just one win in 10 games in the Premier League.

Attention has quickly turned to his replacement, with Mauricio Pochettino identified as United's preferred option. The 54-year-old, currently manager of the United States Men's National Team (USMNT), is reported to have reached a verbal agreement with the club. United have contacted US Soccer over an exit package, with rumoured figures reaching as high as $10m (£7.4m), the amount of his reported release clause. The club will also have to pay more once it hires his coaching team. Pochettino, who previously managed Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, is still contracted to US Soccer until the 2030 World Cup.S1S2

The timing of any appointment is complicated by the calendar. United's next match is on Sunday 22 November, away to Liverpool at Anfield, a difficult fixture that the club needs to take something from to avoid dropping further into the relegation zone. The international break would normally give a new manager time to train and see the squad, but the USMNT have two Nations League matches on 14 and 18 November, which Pochettino is likely to oversee. He could leave the US early to join United, potentially arriving at Carrington the same day or a day after being announced, giving a maximum of nine days to prepare the team. The more likely scenario is that he coaches the two Haiti fixtures and reports to Carrington afterwards, arriving as early as Wednesday 18 November, which would still give him three full days with the squad before the Anfield trip.S1