Manchester United Directors Meet in Monaco as Carrick's Future Is Questioned
Manchester United have won one of their first 10 Premier League games, and their directors will meet in Monaco on Wednesday to discuss the future of head coach Michael Carrick. BBC Sport reports that it is the club's worst start to a top-flight season since 1986-87.
The table tells the same story. United are 18th out of 20 clubs, one point above bottom side Crystal Palace. Carrick, a former United player, is 45 and has been in charge for 10 months. His position is under major scrutiny.
United have a long memory when it comes to managers. Carrick would be the eighth permanent boss to leave the club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired 13 years ago. "Permanent" means not interim. Between Sir Matt Busby's appointment in 1945 and Ferguson's retirement, a span of 68 years, United made as many managerial changes as they have in the 13 years since.
Mauricio Pochettino is one of the names that stands out. The 54-year-old's interest from United dates back a decade, according to BBC Sport. His Premier League record is 294 games, 150 wins and a 51% win rate. He averages 1.77 points per game, where a win is worth three points and a draw one. At Tottenham, his average of 1.89 points per game is the best of any Spurs manager with at least 25 league games.
Pochettino has a trophy cabinet to point to as well. He won Ligue 1 and the French Cup with Paris St-Germain. He also led the USA to the last 16 of the home World Cup, and has signed a new contract that runs to the 2030 tournament. A reported buyout clause in his contract is worth $10 million (£7.44m).
Julian Nagelsmann is another name that comes up. He became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history, aged 28, when he took charge at Hoffenheim, and he led them into the Champions League. He took RB Leipzig to a Champions League semi-final in 2020. At Bayern Munich he won the Bundesliga title in his first season, and his Champions League win rate there of 83.3% is second only to Hansi Flick's 88.9%. He later managed Germany, who lost to eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. United's director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, worked with Nagelsmann at Leipzig.
For a sense of scale, Eddie Howe has won 140 of his 369 Premier League games, a 37.9% win rate, and averages 1.36 points per game.
For supporters, the Monaco meeting is the next step in a season that has not gone to plan. Pochettino's record, Nagelsmann's European pedigree and Howe's league figures are all there to compare. What the directors decide will be measured against a long run of changes since Ferguson left, and a club that has rarely stayed with one manager for long.
