Rio Ferdinand has sharply criticised Manchester United over the manner in which Michael Carrick was dismissed. He believes the club's statement on the sacking is soulless and compared it to text generated by artificial intelligence. Ferdinand is unhappy that the departure of his former teammate was confirmed only by a short statement, without any comments from the directors.
Manchester United terminated its contract with Michael Carrick after a brief meeting at the training centre. Carrick arrived at Carrington base shortly before 8am and was dismissed shortly afterwards, leaving the centre at 10:18. The club then issued a 142-word statement. No one from the management, including chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcoxs, made any official statement. Club leaders, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, made the decision a day earlier at a meeting in southern France, while Carrick in England was not informed of the outcome.
Ferdinand reacted immediately on social media. He criticised the lack of a personal touch in the announcement and demanded that the board take responsibility. He wrote: "United's statement looks like it was written by ChatGPT… I want to hear a voice! I want to see a face behind all this…".
He further elaborated on his views on the show "Rio Ferdinand Presents". He criticised the leaking of information from the club, which he deemed a lack of decency. He said: "You do everything you can to ensure the story ends amicably, with respect and in the most pleasant way possible". He added: "I think the whole situation could have been managed better. The rumours coming out of the club are terrible and do no one any credit. It only reinforces the disrespect towards the person who led the team. It is terrible that everything has played out in public. The minimum that can be expected is a little respect."
Manchester United ended its collaboration with Carrick due to a poor start to the season and elimination from the Carabao Cup by Brighton. Under Carrick's leadership, the team achieved 14 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses. The club's official statement reads: "Manchester United confirms that Michael Carrick has left the position of first-team men's manager. Michael returned in January and led the team to third place in the Premier League, with 12 wins in the last 17 matches of the 2025/26 season and a record number of points in that period. Following a disappointing start to the season, the club has reluctantly decided that a change is necessary to achieve our ambitions. Michael is and will remain a legend of Manchester United. With the dedication he showed as a player, he was always maximally professional during his return. His leadership and results from last season will be remembered with respect. The club will appoint a permanent successor as soon as possible."
