Michael Carrick was sacked as manager of Manchester United on Thursday morning, with the side sitting in the Premier League relegation zone. Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is expected to come in as his replacement. Pochettino is currently manager of the USA national team, but has a £7.5million release clause in his contract.
Run-ins with players
There have been a few incidents during his time in charge of the club, including spats with two members of the United squad. There appeared to be some tension between Carrick and Matheus Cunha following the comeback win over Roma. The forward was sent off in added time, just a few minutes after United came from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead.
After trying to make his way onto the pitch to celebrate with his teammates, he was stopped by Carrick. The United boss instead ordered him back down the tunnel. It turns out that he was trying to avoid further punishment for Cunha, with the laws of the game not allowing players to enter the pitch immediately after full-time.
Fallout with captain
There was also a fallout with club captain Bruno Fernandes. The midfielder appeared to criticise Carrick’s tactics following the 4-1 Champions League defeat against Como last month. When asked if 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 the comments, Fernandes was dropped to the bench by Carrick for the following Premier League game, as United fell to a 3-0 loss vs Bournemouth. The United boss did say that the decision was for footballing reasons. He held clear-the-air talks with the club captain a few days later, and the matter was considered closed. The 32-year-old was back in the starting line-up for the Premier League clash against Chelsea, and has started every game since.
Background to dismissal
There has been talk of the change ever since the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa last weekend, with United criticised for allowing Carrick to take training on Tuesday and Wednesday, having seemingly already made a decision over his future. Carrick was appointed on a permanent basis in the summer after leading United to the Champions League during the second half of last season in interim charge.
