Michael Carrick will remain in charge of Manchester United for Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League showdown against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, according to multiple reports.

Uncertainty over the 45-year-old's future in the Old Trafford hotseat has been rife following a disastrous week that has seen the Red Devils suffer heavy defeats to Como (4-1) in the Champions League and Bournemouth (3-0) in the Premier League.

Defeat at home to the Cherries on Sunday extended Man United’s winless streak to eight matches across all competitions, while the club have made their worst start to a league season in 40 years.

With Man United sitting 16th in the Premier League table and already a whopping 14 points behind both Manchester City and Arsenal at the summit, it had been widely expected that Carrick would be relieved of his duties in the coming days.

However, multiple reports, including one from BBC Sport, claims that Carrick will remain in charge of Man United for their top-flight trip to Chelsea this weekend.

Sources claim that Carrick will be given the opportunity to turn things around at Old Trafford following a dismal start to the campaign.

Carrick to be given time to turn Man Utd form around

It is understood that Man United director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada allegedly held crisis talks over Carrick’s future on Monday and have explored the possibility of appointing a new manager.

Former Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and ex-Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann where two names under consideration, while the likes of Antonio Conte and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery have also been linked.

However, Carrick arrived at Man United’s Carrington complex on Tuesday morning and oversaw first-team training in preparation for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea.

Why the sudden U-turn on Carrick’s future from Man Utd hierarchy?

Many Man United supporters strongly believe that Carrick should not be the fall-guy, as deeper issues lie with the club's hierarchy, recruitment and underperforming players rather than the head coach.

After the loss to Bournemouth, supporters in the Stretford End at Old Trafford chanted Carrick's name and applauded him as he conducted a lap of the pitch, before fans directed their anger at the club ownership, executives and players with a chorus of boos.

Perhaps the fans’ show of support for Carrick has influenced the decision made by Wilcox and Berrada to keep Carrick in his post - for now - and perhaps there is growing realisation from the hierarchy that responsibility for the club's current slump extends far beyond Carrick.