Fabrizio Romano has intimated that Michael Carrick would have been a dead man walking at Old Trafford had Manchester United suffered a home defeat to Roma on Tuesday, and while he has now named the club’s dream “long-term” replacement in the dug-out, he insists the Englishman has given himself a vital stay of execution.

The Red Devils were staring down the barrel of a 10th game without a win after Matias Soule and Donyell Malen scored inside 17 minutes to see the visitors race into a 2-0 lead and condemn Old Trafford to silence.

After leaving the field to a chorus of boos at half-time, the manager seemed to have no way back on what was shaping up to be another desperate night at Old Trafford.

However, after coming out for the second half with new vigour and determination, United roared back to claim a 3-2 win in a result that could not only reignite their season, but also potentially prove step one towards keeping Carrick in his job.

Clearly, the result was desperately needed. Earlier in the day, a strongly worded report had claimed Jason Wilcox had now picked out his top choice to replace Carrick in the dug-out, with the Englishman seemingly having just two games left to save himself.

Now, in a new update on the situation, Romano has confirmed that the win was “absolutely crucial” for Carrick and it would have been  “really complicated” for the club legend to “survive” had they suffered another loss.

Speaking to his YouTube channel, Romano continued: “This win means, first of all, one thing: Michael Carrick now continues his story as Manchester United coach. Michael Carrick will have more opportunities, including the next game.

“But for sure, the indication is that now Carrick will get more opportunities, and this game with Roma will help to build.”

Romano names Man Utd’s dream replacement for Carrick

While the win will certainly feel sweet for Carrick and United, it is absolutely crucial that the manager and the players follow that up with a win over an improving Aston Villa side at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Sat in the opposite dugout will be Spanish coach Unai Emery, who, while potentially plotting Carrick’s downfall, is also seen as the dream candidate by INEOS to lead the club in the long term.

As TEAMtalk explained, though, on Monday, despite that strong admiration, any move for the Villa boss is hugely problematic, and one that the Red Devils now accept will have to be filed for another time and year.

Confirming that dream, Romano explained that United “ideally consider” Emery a fantastic coach and “probably the right man to be the long-term” coach for their project and to restore the club to greatness.

Speaking on Sunday, Romano is adamant that Carrick is not out of the woods yet, and he will need another rousing win over the Villans to keep the wolves from his door.

“Manchester United’s intention is to trust Michael Carrick for these games [Roma and Aston Villa]. Obviously, let’s see how things go against Roma, but the general intention is to trust Carrick for the upcoming matches.

“Then the international break is coming. So, obviously, there will be a longer period of time during which they can assess the situation and make a final decision regarding the managerial position.

“At the moment, the feeling at Man Utd is that Michael Carrick has very good chances of surviving this crisis and remaining in charge for the upcoming games.

“Then, the period around the international break is going to be important. They will assess all the options and possibilities, involving the owners, the directors and everyone at the club, before making a decision about the future of Man Utd.”

He continued: “But, in general, with the international break approaching, that is going to be the moment when Manchester United can properly assess the situation, unless something crazy happens again and they continue failing to win games over the coming weeks.”

Following Tuesday’s win, a number of players insisted they were fighting for their manager and were determined to oversee a big improvement after a tricky run of results.

In more positive news, Paul Scholes has made a huge claim about Sir David Beckham, hinting he would launch a takeover bid at Manchester United to jettison both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers in one fell swoop.