Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has named his pick for the next Manchester United manager with two "obvious" options emerging amid huge pressure on Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick is on the brink at Manchester United with the Old Trafford side soon expected to be on the hunt for its eighth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson.

This weekend, United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes was dropped to the bench in a move that backfired, and at the final whistle, Carrick was clapped by the home supporters while the players were jeered off the field.

Should Carrick be fired, then two options to replace him have been mooted. Julian Nagelsmann, who was most recently in charge of Germany until he was replaced by Jurgen Klopp, is one; the former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is another.

"They are the obvious ones," Reds legend Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. "Are they better managers than Michael Carrick? Yeah, of course they are.

"No one is saying Michael Carrick is (better). I never believed that Michael Carrick was the guy to bring Manchester United back to winning the biggest trophies.

"He came in, helped his club, and did brilliantly last season. And listen, it fell off a cliff this season. He has to be changed.

"Eddie Howe did a brilliant job at Newcastle. He is out of work, and he is available, but he hasn't had the experience in terms of a club of this magnitude and this size.

"Nagelsmann, on the other side of that, doesn't know the Premier League but has managed the German national team and has managed Bayern Munich.

"He did a really good job, I felt, with Bayern Munich, but what would I go for there? I'd probably go for Eddie Howe just because he knows the Premier League.

"He has got experience of it and the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic. He's a great coach and he improved players, but is Eddie Howe the stature and the figure that is going to get Manchester United back to winning the biggest trophies?

Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kit

Liverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.

"Right now, it's about getting Manchester United back into the top half of the table. It's going back to what Carrick did last season.

"They need someone to do that for them. You look at where they are in the league table. They've got Chelsea away and then Aston Villa. There is a very good chance that Manchester United are going to go into the international break in the bottom three."

Liverpool.com says: It has reached the point where whoever takes the role after Carrick will be taking on the impossible job. Manchester United is now unmanageable.

Every single type of coach has been tried and none of them have worked. There are so many problems that it is hard to know where to start, but it feels like whoever takes it would be making a mistake.