Brutal reason Man Utd finally sacked Carrick as Monaco meeting details emerge

Manchester United have parted ways with Michael Carrick after the club concluded that the squad at his disposal is far superior to what their current league standing would suggest. Carrick was hanging by a thread following heavy defeats against Como and Bournemouth a fortnight ago, and was handed three matches to prove he could turn the tide.

However, a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge proved damaging, and although United claimed a 3-2 victory over Roma and battled to a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, the cracks in his side remained plain to see, prompting the club to pull the trigger during the international break.

United's board felt that those three games had not provided sufficient evidence that the team was heading in the right direction. One win from 10 Premier League outings has been regarded internally as "not acceptable".

Ineos are firmly of the belief that United's playing squad is far more talented than their performances and results this season have shown, and there is optimism that a change in the dugout will spark a brighter future, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The drawn-out nature of Carrick's dismissal this week has raised eyebrows, as the club pushed ahead with talks to bring in Mauricio Pochettino. United insist they have followed "due process", yet the way the sacking was handled has left much to be desired.

Carrick continued to oversee training throughout the week, and sources at the club have paid tribute to the manner in which he conducted himself with complete professionalism throughout.

Make sure you don't miss the best Man Utd coverage by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources. Carrick was originally brought in on a caretaker basis in January to replace Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese departed with United languishing in sixth place, and Carrick claimed victory in his opening two matches against Manchester City and Arsenal before steering the club to a third-placed finish in the division.

The 45-year-old wrapped up Champions League qualification with three matches remaining and was subsequently appointed on a permanent basis, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal.

During the summer transfer window, United brought in Karl Darlow, Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, splashing out £150million on overhauling the midfield but choosing not to bolster other positions in the squad.

Carrick's sole victories this campaign have come against newly promoted Ipswich, Sabah and Roma.

United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton, throwing away a two-goal lead at Old Trafford, but alarm bells began ringing when they suffered a 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League before losing 3-0 to Bournemouth just days afterwards.