Michael Carrick Sacked by Manchester United After Horror Start to Season

November 12, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Michael Carrick has parted ways with Manchester United after a woeful start to the season according to a report from David Ornstein. After 11 seasons at Old Trafford as a player, Carrick joined as interim coach after Ruben Amorim’s sacking and steered the Red Devils to a 3rd-place finish, securing their spot in the Champions League this season.

The issues surfaced on the opening day of the season with a woeful 2-0 loss to newly promoted Hull City. Things picked up slightly when Carrick’s United beat Ipswich Town 5-2, with Bruno Fernandes notching a hat-trick. In that game, United had to come from behind, but showed positive signs.

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That was the last time United fans had anything to sing about in the league, and the team’s form since that game has been nothing short of pathetic.

Michael Carrick Leaves Manchester United

Carrick’s Problems

Michael Carrick has left Manchester United after a win percentage of just 20% this season. He’s won just three of United’s 15 fixtures this season, with those wins coming against Ipswich and Sabah, and a come-from-behind victory against Roma…far from the crem de la crem. In the league, he’s won just one of 10 games.

He succeeded last season as Manchester United had one game a week to focus on. No Champions League football and not in either domestic cup competition. He did the basics as to what Manchester United fans expected. He transitioned back to a back four, rather than the back three put out by Amorim. He deployed his talisman, Bruno Fernandes, into the number 10 role, rather than as a deep midfielder, a logical tactical change. These two changes turned things around for United, and Carrick began to pick up the points, largely carried by Bruno Fernandes’ record-breaking efforts.

No Identity

Bruno Fernandes. Credit – IMAGO / APL

One of the key issues was that United didn’t appear to have an identity under Carrick. Too many times this season, he tried to rely on individual brilliance and seemed to lack in-game tactical know-how to change the game in his team’s favour. He made substitutions too late and ultimately didn’t know how to get the best out of his team.

The lack of results led to a fractured dressing room, which culminated in him dropping his captain, Bruno Fernandes, for Manchester United’s game with Bournemouth. This is after the Portuguese midfielder questioned Carrick’s tactics after United’s 4-1 loss to Como.

Not Just Carrick’s Fault

The issue is that Manchester United’s poor form, dismal future, and dreadful squad is not down solely to Michael Carrick.

The problems lie with the owners, the technical director, and the board. They decided to hire Carrick in the summer despite obvious signs that he wasn’t experienced enough. The board decided not to make the signings that many United fans believed the club wanted, to pull out of deals for Elliott Anderson, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali, and make the strange signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, both of whom are showing early signs of being awful signings.

“It’s an Absolute Mess”

There’s a lack of investment in the squad, no ambition to get back to the glory days of the club, and those issues start at the very top. Speaking on Sky Sports following his commentary of the Bournemouth game, Gary Neville said, “The owners have badly let down the football club. It’s an absolute mess”, and the fans could be heard chanting “Sell United and F**k off home” towards the Glazer family’s ownership.

The Last Word on Michael Carrick and Manchester United

Although the manager is set to change, nothing will truly change at the club until the ownership changes. Ornstein notes that Mauricio Pochettino is the current favourite to take the hot seat. He will implement his style of play, and look to change things quickly on the pitch at Manchester United by stamping a clear identity.