Michael Carrick leaves Manchester United as club opens talks with Mauricio Pochettino
Michael Carrick has left Manchester United, and the club has been in talks with Mauricio Pochettino, the coach of the United States men's national team. BBC Sport reported Carrick's departure on Thursday, the same week the club's leaders moved to decide his future.
Carrick was first put in charge in January, on an interim basis, after Ruben Amorim was sacked as head coach. He later signed a two-year contract. Under him, United won 12 of their last 17 matches of the season. That run did not undo a difficult start. United began the campaign with a defeat at Hull City, who had just been promoted to the Premier League, and at the time of reporting they had won only twice all season. They were second bottom of the Premier League and 17th in the Champions League table, the single league where all the competing teams are ranked before the knockout rounds.
The week began with a meeting plan. Omar Berrada, United's chief executive, told Carrick's agent on Monday that he and director of football Jason Wilcox, who oversees the club's football planning and transfers, would travel to Monaco. They planned to meet co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Carrick's future was on the agenda. Wilcox then spoke to Carrick directly a day later. The club told Carrick and his representatives that a recommendation about his future would be made.
Attention then turned to Pochettino. United were aware of a release clause in his contract with the United States, worth $10 million (£7 million). A release clause is a fixed fee that lets another club sign a player or manager without negotiating with the current employer. Talks between United and Pochettino had been going on since Monday. On Wednesday, Berrada contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation to confirm that the clause existed and that United intended to activate it.
For supporters, the picture is clear in outline but not yet finished. The club has moved quickly on two fronts, the future of its head coach and the possible appointment of a new one. Carrick's exit has happened, and the talks with Pochettino are the next thing to watch. Anything beyond that will depend on how those discussions end.
