Manchester United sack Carrick, adding to £60m manager pay-off bill.

Carrick’s departure comes with United languishing in the relegation zone after winning just one of their 10 league matches this season. The club have won only three of 15 games in all competitions under the former midfielder.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have repeatedly turned to new managers in search of a return to the top, but each dismissal has come at a price. The club have paid out millions in compensation and settlements to managers including David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag.

Carrick’s exit is expected to add millions more to that growing bill, with reports suggesting the cost of ending his contract and bringing in a successor could reach around £12 million.

United are reportedly close to agreeing a deal with former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino to replace Carrick. The club have contacted the US Soccer Federation as they move to secure his release from his role as United States head coach.

The sacking of Carrick is another painful reminder of the club’s inability to find stability since Ferguson’s departure. The concern now is whether another expensive managerial change can finally reverse the decline, or whether the problem runs much deeper than the man in the dugout.