Manchester United boss Michael Carrick is walking a tightrope with his future at Old Trafford as the sack closes in on the former midfielder.

The Red Devils manager has overseen a run of seven straight games in all competitions without a victory, which has seen him pushed to the brink.

He was handed the reins on a full-time basis after a second successful interim spell having replaced Ruben Amorim back in January this year.

Carrick led United to third in the Premier League, back to the Champions League after three years away from Europe’s top competition.

This term, however, his side have underperformed, sitting 13th in the top flight and 20th in the Champions League table.

The rumour mill has started spinning with the club reportedly eyeing replacements should they look to sack him.

Potential option: Eddie Howe

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United host Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, which has been billed as a must-win encounter for Carrick after a humbling 4-1 defeat by Como in midweek.

That result forced the United boss to apologise to the travelling supporters, with others online turning on him and calling for his exit.

Former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has been heavily linked with the hotseat, while ex-Chelsea and Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte is also out of work and has been rumoured to be on the club’s shortlist.

The same can be said of Julian Nagelsmann, while it is believed that Brighton and Hove Albion’s Fabian Hurzeler is also admired by the United hierarchy.

The Daily Telegraph reports, however, that a number of those potential candidates have voiced their concerns over the culture that has emenated at the club over the past few years.

It details that certain options feel that United’s players talk too much, and that the dressing room is out of control.

United’s players do have a history of being outspoken in recent weeks, with Lisandro Martinez publicly criticisng the club’s hierarchy after the 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid, while Bruno Fernandes called out Carrick and the backroom staff’s tactics in the Como loss.

Some candidates would be wanting certain conditions met if they were to take over from Carrick.

Nagelsmann is thought to want reassurances about the structure above him, having worked with the club’s director of recruitment Christopher Vivell before, while Conte and Howe would want full authority over the runnings of the club.