Man United sack Carrick, sources say Pochettino close - ESPN

Manchester United have sacked head coach Michael Carrick, the club have confirmed.

United are close to an agreement with Mauricio Pochettino and have made contact with the U.S. Soccer Federation as they push forward with plans to hire the former Argentina defender as Carrick's successor, sources have told ESPN.

Carrick leaves Old Trafford with United in the Premier League's relegation zone after just one league win all season.

Carrick met executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox at Carrington on Thursday morning — following a meeting between Berrada, Wilcox and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday — where he was informed of the decision.

Sources have told ESPN that after heavy back-to-back defeats to Como and Bournemouth last month, club bosses wanted to give Carrick and the players «a further opportunity» to turn things around.

During what has been described as a «comprehensive review,» it was decided that during the following three games against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa there wasn't enough evidence to suggest the team «was on the right path.»

United sources have told ESPN that the decision to sack Carrick has been made because being 18th in the Premier League after 10 games is «not acceptable» and that the squad is «far better than results and performances so far this season have indicated.»

There has been criticism about the lack of clarity around Carrick's position and the optics of him leading training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday amid mounting talk that he was set for the sack. However, club sources have told ESPN that plans for non-international players to train this week were in place more than a month ago.

A club statement said: «Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has