Michael Carrick’s fate as Manchester United head coach will be decided on Wednesday when chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox meet with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco.If United decide to sack Carrick, it would push the compensation paid out to coaching staff and executives over the last three years under minority owner Ratcliffe and Ineos close to £30million.Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the favourite to take over, and buying the Argentine out of his contract with the US national team would cost another £7million.Berrada and Wilcox flew to the south of France on Tuesday to attend a scheduled summit of Ineos executives.Berrada and Wilcox will make their recommendation to Ratcliffe on Wednesday, with all the indications pointing to Carrick paying the price for his team’s alarming descent into the Premier League relegation zone.United sources are maintaining that no final decision has been reached. Co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer would still need to give their approval for the sacking. Michael Carrick is pictured arriving at Manchester United’s training ground at 7.15am Mauricio Pochettino is the frontrunner to replace Carrick – leaving his role as US head coachJoin the discussionWho do you think is truly to blame for United¿s disastrous season – the manager or the club¿s leadership?What’s your view?It’s understood that the Old Trafford hierarchy would want to inform Carrick of their decision face to face, so there may not be any official confirmation from the club until Thursday.The 45-year-old turned up for work at Carrington at 7.15am on Tuesday morning to oversee training with the players who are not away on international duty amid increasing uncertainty over his position after ten months in charge.Sacking Carrick would leave United searching for their third permanent head coach this year after he replaced Ruben Amorim in January.It’s unclear what would happen to his backroom staff. Goalkeeper coach Craig Mawson was already at the club when Carrick arrived and would be likely to stay, along with Travis Binnion who moved up to first-team coach after working with United’s age-group teams.Jonny Evans had just left his role as loans manager, but returned to work alongside his old United teammate as part of a new coaching team that includes Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate.Carrick was only handed a two-year contract in May and would be due a pay-off from United who have already spent £22.7million in compensation since 2024 under Ineos.It includes £10.4million to Erik ten Hag and his staff when the Dutchman was sacked four months after being given a contract extension, £4.1million to Dan Ashworth who lasted just 159 days as sporting director, and £8.2million to Amorim and his backroom team when they left after 14 months.It would have been as high as £16.7million but United saved half of that figure when the Portuguese coach returned to work at AC Milan. Avram Glazer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owners, are pictured at Old Trafford in September
Pochettino was strongly linked with the United job before the club appointed Ten Hag in 2022 and again when he was under pressure two years later.The 54-year-old is currently busy at the US national team base south of Atlanta preparing for a CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final double-header against Haiti.However, it’s known that Pochettino would be interested in a return to the Premier League where he previously worked at Tottenham, Chelsea and Southampton.NOW READ: Ian Ladyman on what Man United, with their seemingly addictive habit, must do now once Michael Carrick is sacked