Eddie Howe is among the leading candidates to become Manchester United manager should Michael Carrick leave his role

Eddie Howe is reportedly interested in becoming Manchester United's next manager if the club decides to sack Michael Carrick. The former Newcastle United boss is believed to be Jason Wilcox's leading choice to take charge at Old Trafford, with reports suggesting initial contact has already been made between the relevant parties.

United have endured a miserable opening to the campaign, finding themselves 17th in the Premier League table after managing just one victory from their first nine fixtures. Carrick's side are also without a win in their last nine matches across all competitions, a dismal run that includes Champions League defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como by 2-0 and 4-1 scorelines, respectively.

Recent Premier League losses against Bournemouth and Chelsea have only intensified the scrutiny surrounding the United manager. Despite growing calls for a change in the dugout, United's hierarchy have opted to retain Carrick for the time being.

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Reports suggest senior figures have struggled to reach an agreement over who should replace the 45-year-old, delaying any immediate decision on his future. Instead, club chiefs are understood to have privately agreed to give Carrick until the November international break before determining whether a managerial change is necessary.

According to The Guardian, Howe would be willing to consider taking charge at Old Trafford, although any potential appointment would depend on negotiations. United would also need to pay Newcastle around £3million in compensation to secure his services.

Meanwhile, United's director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, is understood to be a strong admirer of Julian Nagelsmann, who has previously managed Germany and Bayern Munich. The report claims Vivell has already made an approach to his fellow German to gauge his interest in the role, with the pair having previously worked together at RB Leipzig.

However, there is still a belief among some senior figures at United that Carrick is capable of turning the club's fortunes around. The 45-year-old also retained the support of the travelling fans following Saturday's defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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After the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, Carrick confirmed he would remain in charge for the next Champions League game against AS Roma, saying: "Yes.

"We’ve got to move forward and win matches, it's as simple as that. There's no words that I’m going to explain to you now that makes it any different; it’s not going to change it. You can move up the league quite quickly if you win football matches."

United find themselves above the drop zone only by goal difference following a torrid start to the season that has already put their objectives in jeopardy. The Reds have not dropped into the bottom three beyond August since November 1986, when Ron Atkinson was dismissed and replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson, who went on to oversee the most successful era in the club's history.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, with Roma visiting Old Trafford on Tuesday, November 3 (8pm kick-off), followed by a match with Aston Villa five days later in the final game before the international break.