Manchester United have reached a full agreement with Mauricio Pochettino to take over as head coach — but the Argentinian will manage two final USA games first. 

The club confirmed on Thursday morning that they had parted company with Michael Carrick, with the team sitting in the relegation zone, having won just one Premier League game all season. 

United’s decision-makers started discussing terms with Pochettino, 54, this week and while sources regret that the news got out while Carrick was still in position, they maintain it was necessary to have those conversations as part of their succession planning.

While a full agreement, including having to pay US Soccer compensation of £7.5m, was struck on Thursday, it is understood that Pochettino will not be in Manchester until at least Wednesday next week, as he will oversee two USA games against Haiti. They form a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final, with the first leg in Miami on Saturday evening and the second leg on Tuesday in Cincinnati. Pochettino, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, is set to hold a pre-match press conference on Friday.

It is understood his delayed arrival is not considered an issue by United, as the vast majority of the first-team squad are away on international duty and not due back to Carrington until the second half of next week, when they will begin to prepare for their trip to Anfield a week on Sunday.

Carrick’s departure was drawn out all week, despite the United chief executive, Omar Berrada, and director of football, Jason Wilcox, deciding at a review meeting on Monday that the 45-year-old’s position was untenable. 

They flew to Monaco to meet the minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to ratify the decision, returning on Wednesday, before arriving at Carrington before 9am on Thursday to inform Carrick of their decision. The former midfielder left the training ground at 10.15am, having been told he would be leaving only six months into the two-year contract he signed in May.

It is United’s worst start to a domestic season for 40 years, which is understood to have been one of the deciding factors in parting ways with Carrick.

The hierarchy had backed the former midfielder, who made 464 appearances for United, and the players to turn things around after the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth last month, but since then United have lost to Chelsea in the league, achieved a comeback win against Roma in the Champions League and then drawn in chaotic fashion against Aston Villa on Sunday, when they twice trailed Unai Emery’s side by two goals.

There had been little appetite for change, which is why Carrick was given time to get performances back on track. However, with only one more point on the board and three wins in 15 games in all competitions, the decision was made that the international break would be a good time to relieve him of his duties.

Sources said the “extremely difficult decision” was made because United’s form and position in the table were unacceptable. They added that there is a belief that the squad is much better than their results and displays this season suggest, and that will be shown with a new head coach.

Carrick was praised for the way he conducted himself throughout his tenure and sources defended the decision to give him the job permanently in the summer, stating that after a thorough review he was deemed the best person to lead the club, having guided them back into the Champions League with 12 wins in 17 games last season.

They also stood by their decision to allow Carrick to oversee training this week, despite it being known on Monday that he would be dismissed, claiming that the programme for non-international players had been planned for more than a month and that it was frustrating that their approach for Pochettino was made public before they had the opportunity to talk to Carrick directly.

An official statement, which referred to Carrick as a club legend and thanked him for his work, said a permanent successor would be appointed “as quickly as possible”. It was anticipated there could be an announcement about Pochettino on Friday. 

It was also confirmed that all of Carrick’s coaching staff had also left the club, including his assistant Steve Holland and first-team coaches Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion. Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January as interim head coach, but was rewarded with a two-year permanent contract in May after an impressive end to the season in which they finished third, securing Champions League football.

Things have not gone to plan this season, however, with the team not winning in the Premier League since the end of August. Only Crystal Palace and Ipswich have conceded more goals than United’s 19 in the league this season and across all competitions they have shipped 30, which is the highest figure across Europe’s top leagues.

With results not going their way, events off the pitch started to spiral when players began speaking out about the club. First, the defender Lisandro Martínez issued an extraordinary interview after the defeat by Atletico Madrid in which he criticised the board and Wilcox for not doing enough in the transfer window.

Bruno Fernandes then came out to criticise Carrick and his coaching staff after defeat to Cesc Fàbregas’s Como last month. It led to the United captain being dropped for a meaningful game for the first time in five years.  

After the Liverpool match, United face an away game against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and the visit of Brentford to Old Trafford.

A statement from the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust called Carrick’s departure another “depressing moment”.

“The reason Manchester United fans have continued to support Michael Carrick in recent weeks is that they know responsibility for United’s problems do not primarily rest with him or indeed his predecessors as manager. They lie with the ownership,” the statement read.

“The Glazers’s debt-funded takeover continues to burden the club. When Ineos came in they promised sporting excellence, but yet with repeated changes in football leadership we have seen anything but. It is time for the owners to explain themselves and show some accountability. Another change of head coach cannot repair what the ownership continues to undermine.”