Carrick sacked by Manchester United after fallouts with Fernandes and Cunha

Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United manager, the club confirmed on Thursday, with the side rooted in the Premier League relegation zone. His departure follows a turbulent spell that included a high-profile falling-out with club captain Bruno Fernandes and a touchline incident involving forward Matheus Cunha.

Carrick was appointed on a permanent basis in the summer after guiding United to the Champions League during the second half of last season in an interim capacity. This season, however, has fallen well short of expectations, with a 4-4 draw at home to Aston Villa last weekend widely seen as the moment the club’s hierarchy made up their minds.

The tension with Fernandes surfaced publicly after a 4-1 Champions League defeat against Como last month. The Portuguese midfielder appeared to question the team’s tactical approach, saying: “Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable. 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.”

Carrick responded by dropping Fernandes to the bench for the following Premier League fixture, a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, though he maintained the decision was made on footballing grounds. The pair held clear-the-air talks shortly afterwards, and Fernandes returned to the starting line-up for the Chelsea game, featuring in every match since.

The incident with Cunha was less confrontational in nature. Following United’s comeback win over Roma — in which the side recovered from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 — Cunha was sent off in added time and attempted to join his teammates on the pitch to celebrate. Carrick intervened and directed him back down the tunnel, later explaining he was acting to protect the player from further punishment under rules that prohibit dismissed players from re-entering the field at full-time.

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be named as Carrick’s replacement. Pochettino currently manages the United States national team but has a reported £7.5 million release clause in his contract.