"I'm leaving, guys."
After 10 months in charge of Manchester United, 45-year-old manager Carrick finally shed tears in front of his players.
The Sun, a British newspaper, reported on that Carrick, who was suddenly sacked due to poor results, bid a tearful farewell to his players at the training ground.
According to the media, after receiving the dismissal notice from the club's management, Carrick went to the players who were still at the Carrington training base, choked up and said, "I'm leaving, guys," shook hands with a few of them, and then left the training base dejectedly by car.
Manchester United later issued an official statement saying: "Carrick has stepped down as head coach of the men's first team. His leadership and achievements last season will always remain in our fond memories." However, the club also stated: "Changes are necessary to overcome this season's disappointing start and achieve the club's goals." Manchester United plans to appoint a permanent successor as soon as possible.
Carrick had a premonition that he would be sacked last Monday (9th), when there were widespread rumors that former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino would take over. However, he continued to report to work as usual even during the international break, leading the remaining first-team players and the U21 team in training, maintaining a professional attitude throughout. After this dismissal, Carrick and his coaching staff will receive £5 million in severance pay. This means that Manchester United's total severance pay to managers since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 has exceeded £100 million.
In fact, after Carrick took over in January this year, he won 12 of the remaining 17 matches in the 2025/26 season, earning the most Premier League points during that period and leading the team to third place at one point. However, this season's severe slump ultimately dragged the team down. Manchester United started the season with only 1 win, 5 draws, and 4 losses in 10 games, falling to 18th place in the relegation zone, their worst start in 40 years since the 1986-1987 season.
Especially after defeating Ipswich Town on August 31, Manchester United went 8 consecutive league games without a win, and only won 3 games across all competitions. In the match against Aston Villa on the 8th, the team also exposed serious defensive problems, ultimately drawing 4-4. Football data agencies have given Manchester United a relegation probability as high as 20.9%, indicating a very grim situation.
The hot favorite to take over as manager is former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. The Sun reported that day that Manchester United had reached an agreement with Pochettino on a 2-year, 6-month contract, which could be officially announced as early as the 13th. To bring in Pochettino, Manchester United has agreed to pay his current team, the US Men's National Team, £7.4 million in compensation.
Over the past two years, Pochettino has coached the US team and led them to the round of 16 at last summer's home World Cup. He will continue to lead the US team until the end of this international break. After playing both legs of the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti (14th and 17th), he will travel to Manchester to join the club. Pochettino's Manchester United debut is expected to be the Premier League match at home against Liverpool on the 22nd.
