Manchester United are reportedly on the verge of dismissing manager Michael Carrick following the club's dismal start to the season. According to reports released on Tuesday, the club's hierarchy has concluded an internal review of the team's performance and is leaning towards relieving Carrick of his duties shortly.
The decision comes as United navigates what is described as its worst opening to a campaign in 40 years. The team currently languishes in the Premier League relegation zone after suffering an eight-match winless run. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are reportedly pushing for Carrick's dismissal, a recommendation that would then be put to the Glazer family and influential shareholder Jim Ratcliffe for final approval.
Carrick, a 45-year-old former United midfielder, was appointed on a permanent basis in the close season after a successful interim spell the previous term. He had previously been granted a stay of execution in late October following a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, but the decision to keep him in charge has not yielded the desired improvement, particularly in defensive stability.
Recent results have highlighted the team's inconsistency. United suffered a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea before scrambling a last-minute 3-2 victory against Roma in the Champions League after trailing by two goals. Most recently, the team twice trailed by two goals against Aston Villa on Sunday, ultimately rescuing a 4-4 draw with two stoppage-time strikes. While this late fightback was interpreted by some as a sign of player support for Carrick, club powerbrokers appear determined to make another managerial change to avoid an embarrassing relegation battle.
Despite the looming dismissal, Carrick was seen arriving at United's Carrington training base on Tuesday. The club has the remainder of the two-week international break to secure a replacement before returning to action against bitter rivals Liverpool on November 22.
Several high-profile figures have already been linked with the vacancy, including USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino, former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, ex-Chelsea chief Antonio Conte, and former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
