Manchester United are moving towards sacking Michael Carrick, though no final decision has been made by the director of football, Jason Wilcox, who is leading the review, according to The Guardian.
Jason Wilcox, the director of football at Manchester United, is leading the review into Michael Carrick’s position after the head coach was given the Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa games to turn results around.
The club opted to stick with Carrick after a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on October 25, with the intention of reassessing the situation during this month’s international break.
BBC Sport has been informed by several sources that the board are still dedicated to that procedure, with Carrick’s ultimate fate yet to be decided, whereas the Guardian received no comment from the club upon reaching out. A new appointment would mark the eighth permanent manager in United’s dugout since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
The pressure on Carrick stems from a domestic slump and persistent defensive frailties. Following a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, Manchester United sit 18th in the table, having secured three victories in 15 games in all competitions, marking their worst start to a domestic campaign in 40 years.
During the trio of fixtures that could be Carrick’s last at the helm, United suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Chelsea, secured a 3-2 home victory over Roma at Old Trafford, and played out a 4-4 stalemate against Villa on Sunday at home, a match where they fell behind by two goals on two separate occasions and started added time trailing 4-2 before goals from Patrick Dorgu and Joshua Zirkzee salvaged a draw.
Across those matches, defensive lapses proved glaring. Following the match against Roma, Carrick called on his players to establish momentum, yet they found themselves trailing 2-0 within four minutes against Villa, maintaining a trend of very early concessions that featured Pablo Barrios scoring just one minute into a loss against Atlético Madrid the week prior.
I don’t like the situation where we are, I don’t like the results that we’ve had, but we can definitely do something about it.
Michael Carrick, via Sky Sports
As leadership weighs a managerial change, several high-profile names have emerged as potential candidates. Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that Mauricio Pochettino is open to a move to Old Trafford. Pochettino signed an extension to his contract as USA coach in August, though the deal is thought to contain clauses that would allow him to leave for specific high-profile jobs, with the US scheduled to play a two-legged Concacaf Nations League play-off with Haiti on 14 and 18 November.
BBC Sport reported in October that the club had sounded out Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann over replacing Carrick, while Antonio Conte is known to be keen on the role, and Fabian Hürzeler has also been linked.
Manchester United face a formidable stretch of fixtures. The 20-time English champions are headed to Anfield to take on Liverpool when they return from the international window.
Earlier coverage: Manchester United to Avoid Interim Coach if Replacing Michael Carrick
