Manchester United sack Michael Carrick after 15 games of permanent tenure

Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick after 15 games of his permanent spell in charge, less than six months after he signed a two-year contract. BBC Sport reported that his departure on Thursday followed a run that left United second bottom of the Premier League and 17th in the Champions League table.

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The decision came after senior club figures reviewed his position with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco. According to BBC Sport's reporting, chief executive Omar Berrada contacted Carrick's agent on Monday about the planned meeting. Director of football Jason Wilcox is believed to have spoken to Carrick the following day. It remains unclear whether Carrick and his representatives knew beforehand that the recommendation would be to dismiss him.

United had identified three matches against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa as an important test after heavy defeats by Como and Bournemouth. That sequence produced a 2-0 loss at Chelsea, a 3-2 Champions League victory over Roma and a 4-4 draw with Villa. The team conceded eight goals across those fixtures, and the results were not enough to keep Carrick in the job.

The Villa game on 8 November proved to be his last. United trailed 4-2 before scoring twice in stoppage time, with Patrick Dorgu supplying the equaliser. That recovery followed another comeback against Roma, when United overturned a two-goal deficit. Despite avoiding defeat in both matches, the team had continued to concede heavily after the earlier 3-0 loss to Bournemouth.

Carrick had initially taken over on an interim basis following Ruben Amorim's dismissal in January. United won 12 of their final 17 matches of that season and returned to the Champions League. The improvement preceded a two-year contract signed in May, turning the temporary appointment into a permanent one. His new campaign began with defeat at newly promoted Hull City.

United are now changing their manager during the season for a third successive year, following the departures of Erik ten Hag and Amorim. BBC Sport reported that the club had included contractual protection against an early termination when agreeing Carrick's permanent deal. His exit ends a tenure that began with improved results but failed to sustain that progress into the new season.