Football: Manchester United parts ways with Michael Carrick - rumor about Pep Guardiola as US coach

After less than a year, Manchester United has parted ways with coach Michael Carrick. The struggling Premier League club announced this after a weak start to the season. "After a disappointing start to the season, the club has made the extremely difficult decision that a change is necessary to achieve our goals," said a statement on the website.

According to British media reports, managing director Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox met minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco the day before to discuss Carrick's future. Man United has not yet announced a successor for the long-time United professional. But it should already be determined. According to media reports, Mauricio Pochettino is about to return to the Premier League.

Clear the way for Guardiola?

The 54-year-old Argentine has already coached Southampton FC, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC, among others. He has been the coach of the American national team since September 2024 and his contract will be valid up to and including the 2030 World Cup. Former national coach Julian Nagelsmann was also considered a successor candidate by the British media at times.

Pep Guardiola is again considered Pochettino's successor at the US team. The 55-year-old is currently without a position; he had coached United's city rivals Manchester City until last summer. Before that, the Spaniard celebrated titles with FC Barcelona and FC Bayern.

At Manchester United, no coach has ever come close to the success of club icon and long-time coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 English championship titles with the club from 1986 to 2013, among other things. Even under prominent coaches such as Louis van Gaal (2014 to 2016), José Mourinho (2016 to 2018) and Ralf Rangnick (2021/22), there was no return to the top of the Premier League.

At Carrick, in addition to the sporting crisis, there was also public criticism from the team. Captain Bruno Fernandes criticized the tactics after a defeat in the premier class and accused Carrick of not having enough courage. The club, which was criticized for its treatment of the coach, paid tribute to the long-time professional in its statement: "Michael is a Manchester United legend and always will be."