Manchester United are on the verge of sacking Michael Carrick following a hugely underwhelming start to his stint as the club’s permanent head coach.

The 45-year-old was appointed as the new Red Devils boss in May, after an eye-catching interim spell at Old Trafford, however his side are currently 18th in the Premier League table, having picked up just one win in their opening 10 English top flight matches this term.

Carrick was expected to be relieved of his duties following a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth in October, but he was given three matches to save his job. Man Utd were subsequently beaten 2-0 by Chelsea, before a comeback win over AS Roma in the Champions League and a 4-4 draw versus Aston Villa on Sunday.

However, with club football now on pause for the November international break, Carrick’s position looks untenable and the Man Utd hierarchy are expected to confirm his departure imminently.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has confirmed that Carrick is “expected” to be sacked, with the Red Devils now working on potential replacements. The club claim that a final decision has not yet been made, however the anticipation is that Carrick will no longer be in charge when Man Utd travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on 22 November.

This has been backed up by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who posted on X: “Manchester United consider Michael Carrick position at serious risk after two internal meetings taking place today.

“Review still ongoing waiting on final decision but Carrick’s job has never been so much under threat. Internal talks continue also on potential options as realistic replacement being discussed.”

Who will Man Utd appoint as their next manager?

Man Utd have lined up a host of potential replacements for Carrick, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann considered as the two frontrunners for the job.

USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino has also now emerged as a possible candidate, with reports indicating that he is now firmly among the favourites to succeed Carrick in the Old Trafford dugout after spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the Premier League.

It’s understood that while Antonio Conte, Fabian Hurzeler and Unai Emery are all admired by the Man Utd board, they are all currently unlikely to be selected as the replacement for Carrick.