Man Utd are set to be searching for a new manager once again this week, but the pool of candidates isn't as deep as it has been previously.

It's becoming common practice for Manchester United to appoint a new manager every other year. After Erik ten Hag in 2022 and Ruben Amorim in 2024, it will soon be someone else's turn to take on what is rapidly being framed as the Impossible Job.

United chiefs have already appointed one manager this year, of course, but Michael Carrick's arrival in January was supposed to be temporary, only for the caretaker to do such a good job that he had to be handed a longer contract.

Carrick's shortcomings are now set to cost him that job with United in crisis, languishing in the relegation zone with more than a quarter of the Premier League season gone.

And unlike in 2022 and 2024, the market for potential replacements suddenly doesn't seem quite as vast. Part of the reason for handing Carrick a lifeline two weeks ago was that the club's decision-makers were unconvinced by the pool of potential replacements.

Four years ago it was a long process that was only ever about Erik ten Hag or Mauricio Pochettino. It didn't feel like there was a wrong answer and Ten Hag got the job off the back of a hugely successful stint at Ajax.

In 2024, United quickly honed in on Ruben Amorim, the hot young thing of European coaching. Again, it felt like an obvious decision with plenty of upside.

Now, there are as many pitfalls as there are positives with the list of candidates, and the leading contender has come from nowhere to suddenly be in the frame for a job he has already come close to landing twice previously.

Mauricio Pochettino

Pros: As well as 2022, Pochettino was in the frame for the United job in 2019, after Jose Mourinho was sacked, only for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to nail his audition. Pochettino has always had an interest in managing United, has Premier League experience, has worked in elite environments before and has a clear, distinguishable style of play.

Cons: Stock has fallen since his days at Tottenham and spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea weren't a resounding success. Has been out of the club game for two-and-a-half years and a feeling his best days may have passed.

Eddie Howe

Pros: Has plenty of Premier League experience and is available to start quickly after he left Newcastle United in the summer. Twice got the Magpies into the Champions League and delivered success at Bournemouth. Has a high-intensity style of play that United seem to need at the moment.

Cons: Time at Newcastle ended badly and doesn't really have a CV that would make you think he is a United manager-in-waiting under normal circumstances. Newcastle regressed in both seasons in which they were in the Champions League, which has to be a red flag.

Julian Nagelsmann

Pros: Has worked with a very high standard of players, is a modern coach from the German school of pressing and would bring a real identity to the team. His spell at Bayern Munich means he has the experience of working at a club where the spotlight is always bright.

Cons: Wasn't particularly popular at Bayern, where he had a habit of rubbing people the wrong way, and his habit of skateboarding around the training ground raised eyebrows. Failed as Germany boss during this summer's World Cup.

Antonio Conte

Pros: The candidate with the strongest CV and a serial winner capable of delivering success when it isn't necessarily expected. Has won league titles with Juventus, Chelsea, Inter and Napoli. Is available after leaving Napoli at the end of last season.

Cons: Combustible is probably understating a personality that has seen him fall out with his bosses at plenty of clubs and his time in charge of Tottenham ended in acrimony. Might deliver an uptick in results, but unlikely to last any real length of time.

Unai Emery

Pros: Has built a reputation as a manager capable of diligently building a club up through methodical planning and clever tactical tweaks and that is arguably what United need at the moment. Has been very successful in charge of Aston Villa.

Cons: Has had two spells at the elite level, at PSG and Arsenal, and neither went well. Isn't a great communicator and perhaps lacks for the force of personality to drag United to where they need to go.