Manchester United sack Michael Carrick with club third bottom

Manchester United dismissed Michael Carrick on Thursday with the club third bottom in the Premier League and 17th in the Champions League standings, BBC Sport reported. The decision ended his permanent spell in charge less than six months after he signed a two-year contract in May, following a successful period as interim head coach.

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Carrick, 45, had initially taken over after Ruben Amorim's dismissal in January. United won 12 of their final 17 matches of last season under him and returned to the Champions League. According to the BBC's reporting, the club considered other candidates during the summer but decided his results warranted a permanent appointment. United are now changing their head coach during the season for the third consecutive campaign.

The immediate scrutiny of Carrick's position intensified after heavy defeats against Como and Bournemouth. BBC Sport reported that United's leadership then placed particular emphasis on the next three fixtures, against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa. Those matches produced a defeat, a victory and a draw, with United conceding eight goals across the sequence. The results were not enough to keep Carrick in the job.

United lost 2-0 at Chelsea after Lisandro Martinez was sent off, then recovered from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League. Carrick's final match brought a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November. United scored twice in stoppage time to rescue a point, with Patrick Dorgu providing the equaliser before Carrick acknowledged supporters alongside his players.

The BBC reported that chief executive Omar Berrada contacted Carrick's agent on Monday before a planned meeting in Monaco with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Director of football Jason Wilcox was understood to have spoken to Carrick the following day. The report said a recommendation about the coach's future had been communicated, but it was unclear whether Carrick or his representatives knew that recommendation was dismissal.

The turnaround from last season began with a league defeat at promoted Hull City. United subsequently beat Ipswich 5-2, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick, but had not won another Premier League match by the time Carrick departed, according to BBC Sport. His dismissal leaves the club seeking another managerial change after the improvement that secured his permanent appointment proved unsustained.