The writing is on the wall for beleaguered Michael Carrick after what has been a disastrous week for the Manchester United manager.
On Wednesday, Carrick watched his side suffer a 4-1 Uefa Champions League thumping at Italian side Como, after which club captain Bruno Fernandes publicly blamed the humiliation on the coach's tactics.
The Portuguese was dropped and left as an unused substitute four days later as United slumped to a 3-0 home loss against Bournemouth which leaves the Red Devils in 16th place, one point outside the relegation zone.
Their seven points from eight Premier League games is their lowest at this stage of a campaign since Ron Atkinson's side in 1986/87 (four points) while their eight game winless streak is the club's worst since 2015 under Louis van Gaal.
While Carrick retains the backing of United fans, who sang his name on Sunday and who feel he is just the symptom of wider club failures rather than a cause. But his position appears unattainable and it would be a huge surprise if he is still in the dugout for next Saturday's match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Below, we take a look at who could be there in his place.
Eddie Howe (unattached)
Howe is currently a free agent having left his job as Newcastle United manager this summer after nearly five years in charge.
He enjoyed a hugely successful spell on Tyneside when – with the financial backing of Newcastle's Saudi Arabian owners – he transformed the club from relegation candidates to top-four contenders playing a high intensity, physical brand of football.
Under Howe's stewardship, the Magpies twice qualified for the Champions League while also winning their first domestic trophy in 70 years when they beat Liverpool in the League Cup final. His final campaign was a struggle, though, as Newcastle finished down in 12th place having lost the services of top-scorer Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
The 48-year-old had previously led Bournemouth from the fourth tier to the Premier League – during two spells in charge – keeping them in the top-flight for five consecutive seasons.
Antonio Conte (unattached)
The Italian is a serial trophy-winning coach with the likes of Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli. He left Napoli in May one year after securing the Serie A title.
After spells as manager at the likes of Arezzo, Bari and Atalanta, Conte then took over at Juventus, the club where he made more than 400 appearances as a player and won just about every major honour.
He led Juve to three successive Serie A titles from 2011 to 2014 before becoming Italy's national team manager for two years and then moving to England in 2016, winning the Premier League crown for Chelsea in his first season and FA Cup in his second.
Another scudetto would follow at Inter Milan while a return to England with Tottenham Hotspur saw him lead the club back into the Champions League.
The 57-year-old would undoubtedly arrive with the winning mentality required to be Man United coach but also brings a combustible character who has no problem going public with his grievances with club bosses if he sees fit.
Julian Nagelsmann (unattached)
Another out of work coach who stepped down as Germany manager following a shock World Cup exit in the last-32 at the hands of Paraguay.
Nagelsmann became the youngest manager in Bundesliga history when he took charge of Hoffenheim at the age of 28 years and 203 days in 2016. Took the club from relegation candidates to Champions League qualification during his three and half years in charge.
Nagelsmann then led RB Leipzig to third- and second-place finishes in the Bundesliga as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals and last-16. Bayern Munich then came calling as the Bavarian giants reportedly forked out €25 million to release him from his Leipzig contract in 2021.
His two season at Bayern saw them win the Bundesliga and two Germany Super Cups but also saw him fall out with players, including influential goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Nagelsmann, now 39, worked with Man United's current head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, at RB Leipzig so will certainly be in the mix should Carrick go.
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Spaniard is firmly established as one of Europe's top coaches having now lifted the Europa League five times with Sevilla, Villarreal and Aston Villa, as well as winning the domestic double at Paris Saint-Germain.
Emery is the only manager to have won the Europa League three seasons in a row, a feat he achieved between 2013 and 2016 when Sevilla defeated Benfica, Dnipro and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the final. His PSG reign would see them dominate domestically over two seasons but fail to secure the Champions League crown their Qatari owners craved.
An unsuccessful spell at Arsenal was followed by another Europa League crown at Villareal before moving back to England in October 2022 where he led Aston Villa from a relegation fight to seventh place and the Europa Conference League in seven months.
Since then, he led Villa back into the Champions League as well as winning the Europa League last season – the club's first trophy in 30 years. Clearly has to stature required for United job but would cost huge compensation fee. And it is far from certain that the 54-year-old would be willing to swap the relative calm of Villa for the chaos of Old Trafford.
Cesc Fabregas (Como)
The Spaniard just hammered one of the final nails in Carrick's coffin with the drubbing in Lombardy last week.
His first senior manager's role saw him secure Como a spot in the Champions League for the first time in their history when they finished fourth place last season.
The current campaign has seen Como win two out of three games in European football's premier competition and are fifth in Serie A after losing just once eight matches.
Is building an exciting side at Como, where he is a minority shareholder, and the 39-year-old probably lacks the managerial experience needed to sort out the mess at Old Trafford right now.
