Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has supposedly got his top pick to replace under-fire Michael Carrick lined up already

Michael Carrick's days as Manchester United manager appear to be numbered amid reports his sacking is imminent. A 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth over the weekend has left the club's chief without a win in eight games and treading water at Old Trafford.

INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are faced with another difficult decision to make regarding the future leadership of the club. With that being said, there are a select few names shortlisted currently leading the race to take on the hot seat next.

Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte have each been touted as potential replacements for Carrick if he does get the sack. Mirror Football provides the latest on who might arrive next, with one frontrunner in particular racing into the lead.

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Eddie Howe gets Ratcliffe backing

INEOS boss Ratcliffe is reportedly in favour of Eddie Howe getting the nod to take over the reins next. That's despite stating his intent to "take a break" from football after his time at Newcastle came to an end in the summer.

The i Paper has said United's part-owner is in favour of ensuring United has an English manager in charge. There is evidence to support that notion after Ratcliffe previously spearheaded a push to recruit ex-England chief Gareth Southgate to the position.

It's claimed there is currently a divide between United's board members as to whom should get the job if Carrick is fired. Director of football Jason Wilcox reportedly has his sights set on Howe, while head of recruitment Christopher Vivell wants to link up with former Germany and Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.

And it seems Ratcliffe is leaning towards siding with Wilcox. However, there are also concerns among fans regarding Wilcox's long-term future after Lisandro Martinez's recent rant criticising the director for not recruiting properly in the summer.

Howe's free-agent status makes him an attractive target in that he would come at minimal cost. His achievements at Newcastle speak for themselves, namely landing the club its first major title in 70 years, though there may be doubt as to whether he'd have the same freedom financing his project as he did in the north-east.

Howe to insist on coaching staff

One potential prerequisite for Howe signing on at Old Trafford would be for the manager to bring his coaching staff with him. Howe has long demonstrated a fierce loyalty to those he knows well and has turned down work in the past over that same issue.

Howe, 48, was previously linked with the Celtic job in 2021 when he insisted on naming his own coaching team. In the end, Celtic's reluctance to do so resulted in the proposed move collapsing.

"I felt that if I was to come into a pressured job like [Celtic], I needed to go in with a sense of stability," he told The Athletic in 2022.

"I could have recruited new staff, but then you're working each other out and there's a transition process where it probably takes three, four, five months. That's five months too late. I needed my staff with me and we couldn't get them together."

Howe's former Newcastle assistant, Jason Tindall, has something of a reputation for being active on Premier League sidelines. Tindall previously worked under Howe at Bournemouth before reuniting at St. James' Park five years ago.

Other long-term fixtures under Howe at Newcastle include Graeme Jones, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone.