Manchester United have sacked head coach Michael Carrick less than six months after handing him a contract through to 2028, leaving the club looking for its eighth boss in 13 years. The club confirmed on Thursday that the former midfielder has "departed his role as men's first-team head coach", and Carrick becomes the third recent United manager to be dismissed midway through a season.

Carrick had been named interim head coach on 13 January 2026 following Ruben Amorim's exit and a brief spell under Darren Fletcher, before the club confirmed on 22 May that he would stay permanently. Chief executive Omar Berrada said at the time that Carrick had "done an excellent job in the 17 games he has overseen". The club's statement credited him with guiding the team to a third-placed Premier League finish by winning 12 of the remaining 17 games of the 2025/26 season, accumulating the highest points tally in the league during that period.S2

Results collapsed early in the new season. United sit 18th in the Premier League after 10 matches, with one win, five draws and four defeats. A 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth was followed by a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November, in which United scored twice in stoppage time. The club said it had reached "the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions", while stressing that Carrick "is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend".S2

Carrick had a long career at the club before becoming a coach. He joined Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006 and made 464 appearances, scoring 24 goals and collecting five Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, the Europa League and the Club World Cup. After retiring in 2018 he coached under Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, took temporary charge for three matches after Solskjaer's dismissal in November 2021, and later spent roughly two-and-a-half years as Middlesbrough head coach from October 2022.S2

Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox reviewed Carrick's position and flew to Monaco to brief Sir Jim Ratcliffe that a change was required. United have not yet named an interim, and the club says it intends to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible. United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino is reported to be the likely replacement. The next test is an away Premier League fixture at Liverpool on Sunday, 22 November, at 10 PM IST.S1S2