Manchester United confirm Carrick exit with club in relegation zone as Pochettino looms

What happened

Manchester United confirmed on Thursday, 12 November, that Michael Carrick has left his position as head coach, according to the Brazilian outlet Trivela. The former midfielder had returned to the dugout in January, led the club to third place in the Premier League last season and secured a return to the Champions League, but a poor start to 2026/27 has left the team in the relegation zone. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be the next manager, a move that would add another name to the long list of coaches who have passed through Old Trafford since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Report details

Carrick's second spell began very differently from how it ended. He won 12 of his first 17 matches, took United to third in the league and earned Champions League qualification, form that prompted the club to renew his contract in May. The situation deteriorated within months: United began 2026/27 inconsistently, dropped into the relegation zone, and a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa proved to be Carrick's final match. He finishes his second spell with 15 wins in 32 games, a win rate of 46.9%. His first, brief stint as caretaker in late 2021, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure, produced two wins and a draw in three matches (66.7%) before he left the coaching staff following Ralf Rangnick's appointment.

Trivela's review of the post-Ferguson era shows no permanent manager has consistently reached a 60% win rate in more than 13 years. José Mourinho retains the best record among those who served a significant period, with 84 wins in 144 matches (58.3%). He won the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League in his first season and led United to second in the Premier League in 2017/18, but his third season ended in a breakdown and dismissal in December 2018. Behind him are Erik ten Hag (70 wins in 128 games, 54.7%), Solskjaer (91 in 168, 54.2%, the most matches of any post-Ferguson manager), David Moyes (27 in 51, 52.9%) and Louis van Gaal (54 in 103, 52.4%).

Other spells illustrate the churn. Moyes, chosen to succeed Ferguson in 2013, won the Community Shield in his first official match but was dismissed in April 2014 with Champions League qualification seemingly impossible and the club finishing seventh. Van Gaal won the 2016 FA Cup but was sacked two days after the final against Crystal Palace after United missed out on the Champions League. Ryan Giggs took charge for the last four games of 2013/14, winning two. Rangnick managed only 11 wins in 29 games (37.9%). Ruud van Nistelrooy won three of four as interim (75%), and Darren Fletcher drew one and lost one in two games in January 2026 before Carrick was recalled. Rúben Amorim won 24 of 63 (38.1%) and left in January 2026.

The figures, as reported by Trivela, frame the task awaiting the next coach. The outlet notes that the higher percentages posted by Van Nistelrooy and Carrick's first spell came over four and three games respectively and cannot be directly compared with tenures lasting two or three seasons. It adds that Pochettino, if confirmed, would inherit a problem that goes beyond any individual manager: since Ferguson's retirement, United have repeatedly changed profile, nationality, experience and ideas without finding someone able to turn good periods into lasting stability.