Michael Carrick was dismissed as Manchester United manager on Thursday following a turbulent final period in which he clashed with two of the club's key players.
United have won only one of their opening 10 league fixtures this season and entered the international break in one of the three relegation spots. A 4-4 draw against Aston Villa was not enough to lift them above Coventry City or Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table.
Pochettino expected to take over
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to succeed Carrick at Old Trafford. Reports indicate a general agreement has been reached with both him and US Soccer. Although the 54-year-old signed fresh terms with the USMNT earlier this year, a £7.5million exit clause has allowed United to pursue their target.
Carrick was appointed United manager on a permanent basis during the summer, having guided the club into the Champions League in the second half of last season.
Altercation with Cunha
Tension was evident between Carrick and Matheus Cunha following the comeback win over Roma earlier this month. The striker received a red card in added time, moments after United had rallied from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 victory.
After trying to dash onto the pitch to join the celebrations, Cunha was prevented from doing so by Carrick, who ushered him back towards the tunnel. It later emerged that Carrick was seeking to avoid further punishment for Cunha, as regulations do not allow players to step onto the pitch directly after the final whistle.
Fernandes questions tactics
There was also tension with club captain Bruno Fernandes. The midfielder questioned Carrick's tactical approach following the 4-1 defeat to Como last month.
When asked whether the game plan was wrong, Fernandes said: "That's on the manager and staff to see, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable."
"As you saw with them [Como], the centre-back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to. A team that plays through the middle with small connections, if you give them too much time and space then they can hurt you out wide."
Following these comments, Fernandes was dropped to the bench by Carrick for the next Premier League match, as United suffered a 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth. Carrick insisted after the match that the choice was made for footballing reasons.
Carrick held frank discussions with the club captain a few days later and the matter was considered settled. Fernandes returned to United's starting line-up for the Premier League clash against Chelsea and has been selected from the outset in every fixture since.
