A ‘little-known’ rule has come to light following Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, preventing the club’s hierarchy from pulling the trigger on Michael Carrick straight after another worrying home defeat.

The Red Devils have now failed to win any of their previous eight matches across all competitions, leaving Carrick increasingly likely to find himself on the chopping block sooner rather than later, with a frontrunner for his job already emerging.

But while many would have expected the axe to fall on the same night Old Trafford booed their players off the pitch in spectacular fashion as United fell to 16th in the Premier League, things have gone oddly quiet in M16.

That could be down to a bizarre rule that has thrown a spanner in the works, preventing such a decision from being made at least until Monday.

Strange Reason Man United Can't Sack Michael Carrick After Weekend Losses

According to TalkSPORT, United cannot break the news of a sacking until they have informed the New York Stock Exchange, which is shut at weekends. When Ruben Amorim was dismissed in January, the club made their decision on a Sunday night after his explosive press conference.

However, due to the Stock Exchange's opening times, they did not officially announce it until the following day. There is an early pre-market session that opens at 10:30am UK time, where orders are entered and queued ahead of opening.

Core trading then takes place from 1:30pm UK time until 8pm. Interestingly, this would also mean that, while the Old Trafford higher-ups may have already been looking at potential replacements, an official statement cannot be made yet.

More to follow...