Manchester United have dismissed Michael Carrick following a damaging 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, a result that left the club 18th in the Premier League and intensified a season already heading in the wrong direction.

Carrick, a former United midfielder, had initially arrived as interim manager in January after the dismissal of Ruben Amorim. At the time, the club sat seventh in the table, and Carrick steadied results with a 12-3-2 run to finish third. That form earned him the permanent role.

This campaign has been a stark contrast. United are the only Premier League side yet to win more than once, with their sole league victory coming against newly promoted Ipswich Town on Aug. 30. Since then, the Red Devils have recorded five draws and three defeats in league play. They are now only one point above last place.

The situation is striking, but with the season just over a quarter complete, there is still time for recovery. What happens next will be watched closely, particularly by followers of the U.S. men’s national team, given the reports linking United with Mauricio Pochettino.

According to multiple reports, United have identified the USMNT coach as their preferred candidate to fill the vacancy. Pochettino recently re-signed to lead the U.S. through the 2030 World Cup, but his contract includes a buyout clause that could allow him to take the United job.

The timing may suit a change. The Premier League is in an international break, and United do not play again until Nov. 22. That would give any new manager time to settle before the club travels to Liverpool in its first game after the restart.

Elsewhere, there is growing confidence that North Carolina State will appoint Philip Rivers as its next football coach. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that Rivers “has formally accepted” the job, while ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel said the school’s board of trustees will meet on Friday to finalize his contract.

Rivers, 44, was a four-year starter for the Wolfpack before an 18-season NFL career. He returned from a four-year retirement last season to start three games for the Colts after injuries to two Indianapolis quarterbacks. His coaching résumé remains limited, though he is currently head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama, where he has led state semifinal runs in 2024 and ’25.

Crystal Palace have dismissed Pierre Sage after only 16 games in charge at Selhurst Park, bringing an end to a brief and troubled spell that made him the second Premier League manager to depart following Michael Carrick’s exit from Manchester United.

Sage had tried to steady the mood after Palace’s seventh league defeat in 10 matches, saying: “Today, my job is not the most important thing,” Sage insisted immediately after Palace’s seventh league loss in 10 games. “The most important thing is to find an efficient solution for the team and club.” Palace have now decided that a change in the dugout is the answer.

The campaign has been a difficult one in south London. After the two most trophy-laden seasons in the club’s history, Sage was unable to build on the platform left by Oliver Glasner. Even the victories Palace managed were often surrounded by luck, with the French coach notably offering sympathy to Fulham and Nottingham Forest after both sides created more chances and still lost.

The November international break has long been a favoured moment for clubs to make a change, offering one final pause before the festive period removes time for a new manager to settle. Several Premier League sides are understood to be weighing their options, including a Manchester United team only two places above Palace, but it is the Eagles who acted first.

Thomas Frank is the leading candidate to take over at Selhurst Park. The former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur boss has been without a job since leaving Spurs in February after a poor run of form that worsened immediately after his departure. His work at Brentford brought success, although how much of that was down to the club’s structure rather than his own influence remains open to debate.

BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel reports that talks between Palace and Frank are advanced, after Sky Sports News said the club had narrowed its search to seven potential successors.

Sean Dyche was also considered. He carries a more hardened reputation and brings experience of survival battles, having kept Burnley and Everton up in the past. Vítor Pereira has a similar record with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, while Frank Lampard remains in a difficult spell with Coventry City.

Manchester United have once again reached a familiar crossroads in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, moving on from a manager who once appeared to be the answer.

No side collected more Premier League points after Carrick took over as interim boss last season, a spell that carried United to third place and persuaded INEOS to hand him the job permanently. There was also an understanding that 2026/27 would be harder, with more matches and greater expectation, but few could have anticipated how badly the campaign would unravel.

Just two and a half months into the season, United’s form has become hard to defend, with relegation talk no longer sounding entirely far-fetched. Supporters have made their view clear: the anger is directed less at Carrick than at the players and those above him.

After the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth last month, the squad walked off to a chorus of boos once Carrick had disappeared down the tunnel. The team assembled by Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox has not delivered, and both men now face the task of choosing the next manager. Mauricio Pochettino looks the likeliest candidate.

Injuries have also played a part, particularly Benjamin Šeško’s early-season problems. He managed only 206 minutes in all competitions before Carrick was dismissed, forcing the manager to improvise with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in central positions. Joshua Zirkzee, despite Carrick saying in September that he “believes” in him, was largely overlooked.

“I’m telling you, Josh can do some really top things. I’ve seen it myself, and I’m looking forward to him doing that a little bit more,” he said.

Zirkzee has not started a league game this season and has mostly been used in brief appearances, though he did score at Como and helped spark the late comeback against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford also benefited from Carrick’s arrival. Barcelona declined to keep him permanently, allowing him back into the fold, and he was restored after being frozen out by Amorim. Yet his season has brought no goal contribution, and injury followed after he lost his starting place.

Kobbie Mainoo is another who gained from Carrick’s return. Reintroduced to the side, he earned a new contract in April and a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad. United then tried to prepare for Casemiro’s exit with the arrivals of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, but the broader picture still points back to the same issue: the manager has paid the price for failings elsewhere.