Nine Manchester United players could exit alongside Carrick if manager is sacked

Manchester United are bracing for a managerial change as Michael Carrick edges closer to the sack, but the upheaval may extend well beyond the dugout — with as many as nine senior squad members potentially heading for the exit alongside him.

United have endured a wretched start to the season, winning just one of their opening ten Premier League matches to sit 18th in the table. A chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday, in which the Red Devils surrendered a lead before staging a late fightback, appears to have been the decisive moment for the club’s hierarchy. United have shipped 15 goals across their last five games in all competitions, with defensive fragility the most glaring symptom of a squad in crisis.

While the club draws up a shortlist of managerial candidates, attention is also turning to which players a new head coach might choose to move on. Here is a closer look at the nine names most likely to depart.

Harry Maguire enters the final months of his contract and turns 34 in March. The club hold an option to extend by a further year, but his form during United’s defensive collapse has done little to make that case. A managerial change is expected to signal a clean break for both parties in the summer.

Lisandro Martinez, once considered the cornerstone of United’s defence, has seen his standing at the club erode sharply over the past 18 months. Persistent fitness problems have left the Argentine unable to provide the consistency the backline needs. Contracted until 2027, with a one-year extension option available, a new manager may nonetheless decide to rebuild the defence around fresher options.

Mason Mount has struggled to justify his move from Chelsea, with injury setbacks and unconvincing performances dropping him down the pecking order behind Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. His United career has yet to find any meaningful momentum, and a change of management could accelerate his departure.

The remaining six players identified in the potential exodus have also seen their positions at the club weakened by a combination of form, fitness, and contract situations — factors that any incoming manager will need to weigh up quickly as United attempt to arrest their alarming slide down the table.

With the international break now providing a window for the club to act, a decision on Carrick’s future is expected imminently, and the full scale of the rebuild required at Old Trafford is likely to become clearer in the weeks that follow.