It has now been made public that Michael Carrick is to be sacked by Manchester United.

The Athletic having announced this as breaking news.

Manchester United head into late November sitting in the relegation zone, they have only won one Premier League match all season  and none since August.

In all competitions Man U have failed to win 12 of their 15 matches and their only victories have been against minnows Sabah and very lucky wins against Ipswich and Roma after having trailed in both of those games.

The Athletic say that publicly Manchester United are still insisting no decision has been taken on Michael Carrick.

However, they say that the reality is very different behind the scenes.

The Athletic reporting that ‘on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships’, multiple reliable sources have told them that senior staff are working frantically behind the scenes to have a replacement for Michael Carrick appointed before their next match.

Using the international break as the chance to do so, ahead of a trip to…Anfield. The last thing Manchester United need right now, a likely humiliation against hated rivals Liverpool, on top of everything else.

The report says that once senior staff have their chosen candidate in place, it will then be up to the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe to rubber stamp the sacking of Michael Carrick and the introduction of his replacement.

The Athletic report their understanding of three leading candidates the Manchester United hierarchy are looking at, with Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino the trio targeted.