Michael Carrick’s days as Manchester United manager appear to be numbered. The names of Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe are being discussed. But talks have reportedly already taken place with someone else.

Italy's La Repubblica reports that the Red Devils have made informal contact with Antonio Conte to see whether he would be willing to replace Carrick.

According to the Italian newspaper, Conte has already set out two demands. He wants full control over transfers to reshape the squad around his ideas and tactical preferences, and he wants to bring his entire staff with him.

Conte has already had two spells in the Premier League. He managed Tottenham Hotspur from 2021 to 2023 (1.78 points per game, 76 competitive matches). Before that, he took charge of Chelsea from 2016 to 2018, winning the league title in 2017 and the FA Cup in 2018 (2.12 points per game, 102 competitive matches). Most recently, he won the Scudetto in 2025 and the Supercoppa in 2026 with Napoli. He is currently without a club.

Will Julian Nagelsmann become Manchester United's new manager?

Two other candidates linked in the media with succeeding Carrick at ManUnited are also without clubs. Eddie Howe resigned unexpectedly from Newcastle United in the summer after a fairly successful spell. He reportedly left over differences with the club's leadership after the sales of key players including Sandro Tonalli, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.

Former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is also a candidate for the job in Manchester, alongside Howe, according to The Telegraph. Jürgen Klopp recently replaced Nagelsmann after three years as Germany coach and a humiliating World Cup exit against Paraguay in the round of 32. Before that, Nagelsmann worked successfully at Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim. The Premier League would be new territory for the 39-year-old. His former boss at the German record champions has advised him against taking the Red Devils job.

"He is not someone with a great deal of experience, particularly when it comes to teams abroad," Oliver Kahn said on "Triple - der Hagedorn Fußballtalk" on RTL/Sky Sport: "The Premier League and Manchester United are not known for having had much continuity in the managerial position in recent years."

Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, eight different managers have taken charge, not counting interim appointments. Even big names such as Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ralf Rangnick ultimately failed resoundingly. Kahn urged Nagelsmann to think carefully before signing for United if an offer comes: "He has to ask himself: What is my next step now? Does it have to work out? Or do I immediately associate it with an enormous risk like Manchester United, where essentially every manager in recent years has failed sooner or later? (…) You should look very carefully at where you are going."

How bad are Manchester United at the moment?

United are in another major crisis. The Red Devils have just seven points from seven Premier League games, their worst start to a season in almost 40 years and miles short of their own expectations. Brighton & Hove knocked them out of the League Cup, while in the Champions League they most recently suffered a dreadful 4-1 defeat against Como.

The Guardian called it a "shameful defeat". The Telegraph described it as "the kind of performance that costs a manager his job". After the display in Lombardy, captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised his manager's tactics.

After the final whistle, Carrick was more restrained. "There is still a lot to do before the next game, and we have to prepare the team for it," he said ahead of Sunday's league match against AFC Bournemouth.

Last season, Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim and guided the Red Devils back into the Champions League after a three-year absence with a strong second half of the campaign. The club's leadership then rewarded the interim manager with a long-term contract as head coach until 2028.

Defender Lisandro Martinez has firmly backed Carrick while sharply criticising the club's leadership and transfer policy.

"I have to hold myself back a lot, but sometimes that reflects exactly where our club stands at the moment," Martinez fumed after the 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid in mid-October. He expected more investment. "One hundred per cent. I expect more from our sporting director. I have to be honest: as players, we have to do more, but it is also important to build a strong squad to be ready for nights like these."

Sporting director Jason Wilcox invested more than 170 million in the team last summer, but mainly in midfield rather than the problem areas in attack and on the left side of defence. "You cannot just keep changing the manager, changing the manager, changing the manager," Martínez said, asking: "What about other areas? I cannot say any more."