Michael Carrick is a man under pressure at Manchester United and a former Chelsea star admits the warning signs regarding his lack of experience were always there

Manchester United have been reminded that Michael Carrick was never a top manager when he arrived - nor did he have experience of a club at the top level.

The Red Devils have won just two of their 12 games this season which has seen serious questions asked of Carrick. Many expected him to be sacked in the aftermath of the Bournemouth loss on Sunday, but he has been retained and will remain in charge this weekend.

Carrick's only major job saw him lead Middlesbrough in the Championship but he was handed the reigns at Old Trafford last January, with the original plan for him to manage them until the end of the season.

A stunning interim spell, which saw him record wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa, had United up to third and he was handed the job full-time - but plenty felt there was still a serious risk and John Obi Mikel has issued some stark reminders.

Make sure you don't miss sport's biggest stories and breaking news by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources.

He said on The Obi One Podcast: "The fans are not stupid. The come week in, week out, see what goes on, and they know exactly where the problem lies. Is Michael Carrick a top manager? No. Did he manage at the top level before getting the United job? No.

"But we all knew that it was going to be a learning process. He did a wonderful job last season, got them back into the Champions League for the first time in a long time. Collectively, these Manchester United players are not good enough. They were dreadful to watch, awful to watch. It was a disaster."

Carrick retains the backing of the fans, who sang his name at the weekend despite the dire performance, with their anger very much directed at the players and the hierarchy.

Whilst United have stuck by Carrick for now there are plans being made for the possibility of them changing their manager yet again. Eddie Howe, out of work after leaving Newcastle, and Julian Nagelsmann are two of the frontrunners.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler and Antonio Conte are three of the other names on the shortlist.

Carrick is understood to have held clear the air talks with Bruno Fernandes, who called out the United boss in the aftermath of their loss at Como. The Portugal star had been left on the bench at the weekend but could well return for Saturday's game at Chelsea.