It seems the writing is on the wall for Michael Carrick after Manchester United's nightmare start to the season, with Wayne Rooney naming the perfect successor

Wayne Rooney believes Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is "exactly" what Manchester United need right now with Michael Carrick struggling to provide results. The Reds sit a staggering 18th in the Premier League standings with just eight points from their opening 10 matches, their worst start to a campaign in 40 years.

As a result, Carrick is expected to be sacked by the board during the November international break, with the Old Trafford top brass then turning their attention to finding a suitable replacement before United's next clash, which comes in the form of a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool.

While the likes of Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte have all been named as potential successors to Carrick, who was only appointed permanently in the summer after an impressive interim stint, Rooney believes that in an ideal world, a second stint for Mourinho would prove incredibly fruitful.

Speaking on the most recent instalment of Stick to United, the club legend said: "He's probably exactly what Man United need now, if I'm being honest. You can see why he's had the success where he's had it.

"I think he's ruthless, he's selfish and if he's got something to say, he'll say it. But I think, if he had a little bit more within the squad, he would have won (the Premier League)."

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Having already lifted three Premier League titles across two separate stints with Chelsea, Mourinho landed at Old Trafford in 2016 as a replacement for Louis van Gaal. However, the Portuguese tactician was unable to bring glory back to Manchester United during his two-and-a-half-year tenure.

United finished sixth in the English top flight in 2016/17, before managing a second-place spot the following season, albeit still 19 points adrift of champions Manchester City. Having won just seven of United's first 17 games in 2018/19, Mourinho was sacked and succeeded by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the December.

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That's not to say that the 'Special One' didn't see any success at Old Trafford, however. Mourinho left the north west with a Europa League, a League Cup and a Community Shield to show for his efforts, before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite Rooney's calls, the likelihood of the Reds securing Mourinho's services once again any time soon appears to be slim, if not none. The 63-year-old took up tenure with Real Madrid earlier this year and has thrived with Los Blancos over the past couple of months.

As things stand, Real sit second in La Liga, just three points behind league leaders Barcelona, with 14 wins and two losses to show for their endeavours. Mourinho is also under contract with the club until 2028.

Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has become the bookies' favourite to take up tenure at Old Trafford in the event that United part ways with Carrick. The Argentine would supposedly be open to a Premier League return, with a $10m (£7.4m) release clause inserted into the contract extension he signed to continue as head coach of the United States' men's team until the 2030 World Cup.