LONDON: Manchester United have finally done the decent thing and sacked manager Michael Carrick who had been left in employment midair after an awful start to the season that has left the 20-time English champions in the Premier League relegation zone. United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is poised to take over.

Carrick, after days of social media speculation, was finally informed of the decision face-to-face on Thursday morning by chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, just six months after signing a two-year contract.

The dismissal followed a formal review led by Wilcox and approved by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family. In an official statement, the club praised Carrick’s professionalism and status as a club legend, but concluded that “a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions”.

The former midfielder’s position became untenable during a club-record eight-match winless run in the Premier League. United sit third from bottom in the top flight – one point adrift of 17th-placed Coventry City – and 17th in the Champions League standings. Club hierarchy felt the squad was vastly underperforming its quality, an assessment compounded by reports of a dressing-room rift.

Carrick had teetered on the brink for two weeks after defeats by Como and Bournemouth. Granted a three-game reprieve to spark a turnaround, his side lost 2-0 at Chelsea before salvaging a 3-2 victory over Roma and a chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. Despite those late results, persistent defensive flaws convinced executives to act during the international break.

Pochettino has reportedly agreed personal terms after three previous approaches for the Old Trafford hotseat over the years. United have made formal contact with US Soccer to trigger the Argentine’s $10 million (£7.5 million) release clause, with additional compensation required to bring in his long-time backroom staff.

Pochettino, who only extended his USA contract until 2030 after last summer’s World Cup, is expected to fulfill his international duties for two upcoming fixtures against Haiti before flying to Manchester. That timeline would give the former Tottenham and Chelsea boss just three days on the Carrington training pitch to prepare his new squad for a daunting trip to Liverpool on November 22.

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