With Manchester United facing Aston Villa this Saturday a crucial decision regarding Michael Carrick's future has been made by the club

Manchester United will not appoint an interim head coach if they decide to sack Michael Carrick. The United boss has been under huge pressure with the club's results taking a dramatic nosedive.

While the comeback victory over Roma was a desperately needed boost for Carrick and the Reds, his position still appears to be uncertain. United continue to be linked with the likes of Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, even though Carrick remains in situ.

He will be in the dugout for this weekend's home clash against Aston Villa, but his future beyond the battle against Unai Emery's side is up in the air. The international break will also be taking place immediately after this weekend's fixtures.

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources

While it's unclear who will be in charge of United beyond the international break, Sky Sports understands the club has no intention of appointing another interim manager.

This means whoever replaces Carrick, should the club decide to part with him, will be the next permanent United boss, rather than a temporary option. Last season, Darren Fletcher temporarily oversaw the Reds in the wake of Ruben Amorim's sacking at the start of the year.

Carrick was soon appointed as the interim manager before going on to earn the full-time position by dragging United to an impressive third place finish.

This season, the former Reds midfielder has not been able to recreate the same results while competing in the Champions League at the same time. After the recent 2-0 away loss to Chelsea, United were left languishing in 17th position.

They are only above 18th placed Crystal Palace on goal difference and are only two points ahead of rock bottom Sunderland. However, Carrick was more optimistic about United's hopes of turning things around after the triumph over Roma.

He said: "I'm not getting too carried away with things. I think it's an important night. But we've got to take stock, we've got to stay calm and prepare and be ready for another big game on the weekend."

The win over Roma has at least breathed new life into United's hopes of remaining in the Champions League. Carrick's side moved up to 17th in the table, but they are only three points away from the top eight, who will automatically progress into the round of 16 in the competition.

In Europe, United have an away clash against Sporting, home games against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, and an away battle with Villarreal.