Michael Carrick’s future as Manchester United head coach will be decided today, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe leading a meeting in Monaco that is expected to confirm the 45-year-old’s departure. The Man Utd next manager race is already taking shape, with Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann emerging as the three leading contenders for the Old Trafford dugout.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reported on Monday night that Ratcliffe will lead the meeting in Monaco on Tuesday, where chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox will formally present their recommendation to part ways with Carrick. “It is expected to confirm Michael Carrick’s departure,” Jacobs wrote, adding that Carrick is expected to return to Carrington today as he awaits official communication from the club about his exit.
The Athletic reported on Monday evening that United intend to relieve Carrick of his duties, and the club has continued to insist that no final decision has been reached. But the direction of travel since Sunday’s dramatic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa has been unmistakable. GIVEMESPORT reports that Carrick was probably seconds away from an almost immediate dismissal on Sunday, before Patrick Dorgu’s 96th-minute equaliser rescued a point at Old Trafford.
Man Utd next manager: decision day in Monaco
The meeting matters because of who is in the room. Wilcox and Berrada held talks over Carrick’s future on Monday, and it is their recommendation that goes to Ratcliffe in Monaco. Any final call will also need the approval of the Glazer family, the club’s majority owners, but the expectation inside the game now is that the decision is made today.
There is also a financial reason why the exit may come quickly. Jacobs reports that Carrick’s contract contains a one-year break clause, making an exit more affordable than with previous Manchester United managers. Carrick was named permanent head coach in May on a two-year deal after securing a Champions League return, having first steadied the side as interim boss after Ruben Amorim was sacked last season. But this season has unravelled fast: United have won just one of their ten Premier League games, sit 18th in the table with eight points, and are without a win in eight league matches. Their only league victory of the campaign came against Ipswich Town at home on 30 August. For more on how the crisis deepened, read our report on the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa and our earlier piece on Carrick’s future in doubt.
Pochettino leads the race — but Howe and Nagelsmann are in it
Mauricio Pochettino remains the front-runner to succeed Carrick, and the price of hiring him is now clearer. talkSPORT reports that the release clause in his United States contract is £10 million, a figure that took sources close to Old Trafford by surprise, while GIVEMESPORT puts it at approaching $10 million, around £7 million. Either way, multiple sources believe the clause would not prove prohibitive if United choose to proceed. Pochettino has been in charge of the US national team since September 2024 and signed a new deal in August running until the 2030 World Cup, but he is open to returning to club football at Old Trafford. He has interviewed for the United job on three separate occasions and took Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019.
The other two names on the shortlist are both free agents. Eddie Howe left Newcastle United in the summer, although around £3 million in compensation would still be due to the Magpies if he were appointed. Julian Nagelsmann is also available after leaving the Germany national team in the summer. GIVEMESPORT reports that Aston Villa’s Unai Emery is set to sign a new contract to stay at Villa Park, while Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler has no intention of leaving his club right now, narrowing the field to the three leading contenders.
Whoever takes over inherits a squad short on confidence and a fixture list that offers no mercy. United’s next match is the trip to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, 22 November, and the new manager will be expected to drag the club out of the relegation zone fast. The decision in Monaco today will settle the first question — whether Carrick goes. The second — who replaces him — may take a little longer, but the shortlist is already drawn up. For more on United’s slide, read our report that Carrick is set to be sacked, and for today’s predictions across the leagues, check our page.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, Arne Müseler) — collage by SportsBuddy.
