After an awful start to the season Michael Carrick appears to be on borrowed time as Manchester United manager, but who should be their next boss if the United legend is moved on?

First things first: Carrick isn’t the biggest problem at United. Those in charge of making decisions at the top of the club, and the ownership and the players, should all have more blame placed on them than Carrick for this situation.

But we all know how this works. After six defeats and just two wins in their opening 12 games of the season, Carrick isn’t naive. His reaction at Old Trafford after the 3-0 humbling at home to Bournemouth on Sunday said it all.

Carrick waved to the fans and thanked them for their support of him. His players and those above him weren’t so lucky and were hounded by United’s supporters.

Who should be the next Manchester United manager?

While Carrick is still in a job for now as CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox were seen arriving at United’s training ground on Monday, there are various reports already circulating about who the next United manager could be.

Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe have all been mentioned, and seem the most likely options.

Unai Emery and Fabian Hurzeler should both be top targets but would they leave Aston Villa and Brighton right now and would United pay big compensation fees to get them? Probably not.

So the focus then shifts to who is available now to improve the situation quickly and then has the experience to kick on in the spring and summer and build something sustainable.

And when you put it like that there is only one option: Eddie Howe.

Why Eddie Howe is the right choice to be the next Manchester United manager

Howe has done this before.

He took charge of a struggling Newcastle side in November 2021 and turned things around quickly by keeping it simple and playing on the counter.

United’s current squad responded to those tactics extremely well under Carrick last season and surged to finish third. Would this squad respond to Conte’s intensity and suit his style of play? Probably not. Things would get a lot worse in the short-term. Given the growing discontent from fans, United’s hierarchy and ownership can’t afford to let that happen.

Initially Howe works as a short-term fix, and that is probably the best approach for United until they can move on a lot of this squad over the next few transfer windows.

But what comes next is why Howe should get this job.

He can build a project, an identity and style of play and gets an entire club moving in one direction and improves players individually. Howe seems calm and relaxed but he’s a tough, determined character who has high standards and United would no longer be led by player power if Howe takes charge. That is certain.

After leaving Newcastle United in surprising fashion in the summer Howe is also available now, for nothing.

This is the next logical step in his career after incredible success in bringing Bournemouth through the leagues, then taking Newcastle to the UEFA Champions League on multiple occasions in recent years and delivering their first domestic trophy in over 50 years.

If Manchester United are serious about taking the next step and at the very least getting back on track and maintaining their status as a Champions League club, hiring Eddie Howe in the coming days is the only logical answer.