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At around the time The Athletic broke the news that Manchester United were finalising their approach for Mauricio Pochettino to be their next manager, their current manager was arriving to take training. On Wednesday Michael Carrick will, as he did on Tuesday, go through the motions of overseeing a session that involves the few United players not on international duty, existing in the liminal space between employment and dismissal, floating through life but knowing the phone is going to ring soon. He may well have to do it again on Thursday. It’s not a dignified existence. He knows the end is near. We know the end is near. But more importantly Jim Ratcliffe, Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and whoever else chips in with these things at United or INEOS, all know the end is near. But this is Manchester United, the club that somehow always manages to get things wrong. The club that want to appoint Pochettino, a man currently in an international job, so have chosen an international break to make their move for him, one of the only fortnights of the year when they know he is definitely busy. One thing is for sure, Manchester United have treated Michael Carrick dreadfully, the latest in a long line of terrible decisions from a shambolic football club. 📝 @NickMiller79 🔗 nyti.ms/4sTvJEZ