Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick from his position as head coach, just two days after the dramatic 4-4 comeback against Aston Villa. 

Carrick was handed the full-time job after a successful interim spell at the end of last season, but will not see out his two-year contract. 

In their official statement, United said: "After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions.

"Michael is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend. Just as he did as a player, he has conducted himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism throughout his time back with the club. His leadership and achievements last season will always be fondly remembered.

"The club intends to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible."

INEOS are set to appoint their third head coach, with less than two weeks before Manchester United face Liverpool – the first game back after the international break. 

United sit in the relegation zone after 10 games played, with just one win in the Premier League this term – the only side in the division not to record more than one victory. 

Antonio Conte, Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann were linked with a move to Old Trafford days after the 3-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth, which saw Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox grant Michael Carrick three more matches (Chelsea, Roma and Villa) before making their final decision. 

After links with Manchester United, Conte took to social media to inform fans that he did not have many demands for any potential new club. He remains a free agent. 

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann are also without a club after leaving Newcastle United and Germany, respectively, in the summer. According to previous reports, both would be open to working at Old Trafford. 

Mauricio Pochettino is the most recent name linked with a move to Manchester, despite being the United States of America head coach. His side are set to play Haiti on Saturday, 14 November, and Wednesday, 18 November. 

It has been widely reported that Pochettino has agreed personal terms with the Red Devils, with Roundtable understanding that Michael Carrick was aware that conversations had been held with potential replacements. 

When a new head coach is appointed, the INEOS regime will be on their fourth head coach at Old Trafford. 

Their first decision was to keep Erik ten Hag  following his FA Cup final win against Manchester City, but he was sacked just months into the new season. 

Daniel Ashworth (the director of football INEOS had bought from Newcastle United) favoured Howe to take over, while Berrada and others preferred Amorim. The Portuguese manager was appointed, Ashworth left his role, and Wilcox was promoted to director of football. 

They stuck by Rúben Amorim after he lost the Europa League to Tottenham Hotspur in his first season, but dismissed him for his comments after a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in January 2025. 

“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear,” he told journalists in the post-match press conference. 

“I know that my name is not Tuchel, is not Conte, is not Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United. It's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I'm not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me.” 

After two games under Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick arrived and guided Manchester United to a third-place finish in the Premier League – picking up the most points of any side in the division since he was handed the job. 

Carrick was rewarded with the full-time position, despite his managerial CV reading “Middlesbrough” and “interim head coach at Manchester United”. 

Fans have continued to protest the ownership this season, with Jason Wilcox’s name also being sung – not in the way he would like. 

A third appointment and a fourth head coach are not a good look for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada or Jason Wilcox. 

In February 2024, Ratcliffe said: “If you look at the last 11 years, Man United has had quite a few coaches…so that would say to me that there’s something wrong with the environment.”