Conte and Nagelsmann are both waiting in the wings for their next role in football management, while Hurzeler has been at the helm of the latest chapter in Brighton & Hove Albion's history after their dream start sees them mixing it with pace-setters Manchester City and Arsenal.

Italian Conte, who had spells with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, reportedly expressed his intentions of taking over at Old Trafford. According to reports, intermediaries have sounded out the Red Devils hierarchy over replacing Carrick with Conte willing to take the job as rumours continue to swirl.

Hurzeler finds himself in a completely different position from 12 months ago, when sections of the Brighton fanbase were calling for his sacking. Now, the Seagulls have aspirations for European success as they blow away their Premier League rivals in a dream start for the German.

The Brighton boss has been endorsed to replace Carrick at Old Trafford by former Premier League striker Alan Shearer. The Sun have previously claimed that Hurzeler is considered a standout candidate to take over the Red Devils if they decide to change head coach, and following their drubbing in Northern Italy, scrutiny on Carrick's position will intensify.

Nagelsmann has also been touted as a potential replacement in the hot seat, having forged a name for himself in Germany before taking the national team role, a position he relinquished control of in the summer. Formerly of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, Nagelsmann is well regarded across Europe and had been mooted as a potential Liverpool head coach when Arne Slot was dismissed in the summer.

TalkSPORT suggested that he is another potential option for United, and his name was mentioned recently as a possible successor to Carrick if he fails to turn their form around. United face a tricky run before the forthcoming November international break as they host Bournemouth and travel to Chelsea before back-to-back home matches against AS Roma and Aston Villa followed by an away trip to rivals Liverpool.

United find themselves in fresh turmoil once again as their form continues to suffer. Lisandro Martinez's incendiary comments after their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid raised questions over the morale within the squad and also the mood towards the higher-ups at Old Trafford. The general mood will have undoubtedly worsened after the Como thrashing, with Carrick's job now under serious threat.