Michael Carrick arrived at Manchester United's training ground early on Tuesday, checking in at 7.15am on the day he could face the sack.

Manchester United bosses are leaning towards installing a new head coach during the international break with the manager's position increasingly precarious after they dropped into the relegation zone despite salvaging a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday.

It left the 45-year-old with just one wins from ten Premier League games this season – United’s worst start since Sir Alex Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson 40 years ago.

Carrick is expected to take training as usual this morning - with a cut-down group of players as a number of United's stars have departed on international duty.

Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as a new frontrunner to replace Carrick. The Argentine is currently in charge of the US national team, but his contract includes a £7million release clause.

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, who were both under consideration when United gave Carrick more time to turn the season around following a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth last month, could also be in contention.

In the three games since then, Carrick’s side lost at Chelsea, staged a remarkable comeback to beat Roma in the Champions League in midweek and then fought back again to draw with Villa. 

Although it’s understood that no final decision has been reached over Carrick’s future and insiders say that speculation over his sacking is premature, the expectation within Old Trafford is that a new man will be in charge for the visit to Anfield a week on Sunday.

Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in mid-January and the former United midfielder was handed a two-year contract in May after guiding United to a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League, losing just two of his 17 games as head coach.

But this season has unravelled alarmingly for United with his only two wins in 15 games in all competitions coming at home to newly promoted Ipswich and Sabah of Azerbaijan.

Asked after Sunday’s chaotic draw with Villa if he would consider quitting, a defiant Carrick said: ‘That's not going to happen.

‘We’re in November. I don’t like this situation and where we are. But we can do something about it. I'm quite clear with what direction the club needs to go in, and it's got to win games.’

Sacking Carrick would leave United searching for their eighth permanent manager or head coach since Ferguson retired 13-and-a-half years ago.

Pochettino was strongly linked with the job when Erik ten Hag was appointed in 2022 and again when the Dutchman was sacked two years later.

The 54-year-old has extensive Premier League experience at Tottenham, Chelsea and Southampton and was also in charge at Paris Saint-Germain.

Howe was previously seen as the favourite but it’s understood there has been no contact between United and the former Newcastle boss.

It would cost United around £3million in compensation to appoint the 48-year-old under the terms of his departure from St James’s Park in July.

Nagelsmann is available after leaving his role as head coach of the German national team in the summer when they were eliminated from the World Cup following a penalty shootout defeat by Paraguay in the round of 32.

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