Nearly a full week after a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa, Manchester United parted ways with Michael Carrick, prompting Norway manager Stale Solbakken to criticize Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
United finally removed Carrick nearly a full week after that dramatic fixture. Even with a two-goal turnaround triumph against Roma in the Champions League, the international break always pointed toward a managerial change.
As reports emerged linking United to Mauricio Pochettino, Carrick kept turning up at Carrington to run training sessions for players not involved on international duty. Solbakken offered a blunt assessment of that situation during a press conference ahead of Norway’s Nations League fixtures against Wales and Denmark.
"It says a bit about what kind of club man he [Carrick] is," Solbakken said, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Ratcliffe finalized the decision after consulting club CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox in Monaco. Berrada delivered the news to Carrick in a meeting at Carrington on Thursday, a day after reports surfaced that United stood close to an agreement with Pochettino.
Former United captain Gary Neville joined in condemning the club’s execution of the transition. Neville pointed directly at the distance between the leadership and the training ground during the final hours.
"In the last 24-48 hours it’s been spectacularly bad," Neville said.
"To be in Monaco as an executive and an owner whilst your manager, who’s a club legend, is taking training on the pitch and simultaneously approaching the US Soccer Federation to approach Mauricio Pochettino," Neville said.
United confirmed Carrick’s departure on Thursday, though the club has not yet announced Pochettino as his permanent successor. Pochettino retains active duties as manager of the United States men’s national team ahead of a CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final tie against Haiti.
"If it is true, then it is probably not the first mistake Ratcliffe and co have made," Solbakken said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
Keep reading
- Ladislav Pecko Questions Yaya Touré’s €15M Valuation of Nino Marcelli
- NBC Broadcaster Dan Hicks Dies at Age 64 After 35 Years With Network
- Netizens Call November 12 World Resign Day After Gibran, Jensen Huang, and Michael Carrick Step Down (archyde.com)
- Michael John Roberts, Animator and Director on ‘Bojack Horseman,’ ‘Triptank,’ Dies at 48 (newsylist.com)