Manchester United technical director Jason Wilcox is leaning towards appointing Eddie Howe if Michael Carrick is sacked, talkSPORT understands.

Carrick faces an uphill battle to save his job in the wake of Wednesday's humiliating 4-1 defeat at Como after which captain Bruno Fernandes rounded on his manager.

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Carrick is set to be in charge for Sunday's Premier League home clash with Bournemouth as the United hierarchy contemplate their options moving forward.

Who are the contenders to replace Michael Carrick if he's sacked?

As exclusively revealed by talkSPORT, former Germany and Bayern Munich chief Julian Nagelsmann has already been sounded out over his interest in taking charge at Old Trafford.

Nagelsmann is the standout option in the eyes of head of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

But Wilcox's opinion is likely to hold more weight in the eyes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family.

Wilcox is believed to prefer Howe due to his experience in the Premier League even though he rallied against appointing him when Dan Ashworth put him forward prior to Ruben Amorim's arrival.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery also fits Wilcox's criteria but would be expensive to prise away even if he wanted the job.

talkSPORT understands Fabian Hurzeler, another admired by Wilcox, would not leave Brighton for United at this time.

Antonio Conte has put himself forward to replace Carrick but that looks unlikely having been previously overlooked due to his fiery nature.

Bruno Fernandes set to avoid punishment for post-match outburst

In another ominous sign for Carrick, United do not plan to punish captain Fernandes for his incredible outburst.

There is a fear in the boardroom that the 2008 Champions League winner is losing the faith of the dressing room after overseeing United's worst start to a season in 40 years.

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Howe has been out of work since leaving Newcastle by mutual consent in the summer.

While he is not desperate to return to the dugout quickly the feeling is he would be interested if the United vacancy came his way.

At Newcastle, Howe ended the club's 70-year wait for a domestic trophy when he led them to EFL Cup glory in 2025.

Howe also oversaw Newcastle's return to the Champions League in 2023, 20 years after they were last in the competition.

The Magpies repeated the feat at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Howe's final season at the helm ended with Newcastle finishing 12th, their lowest placing throughout his tenure at the club.