While the club's problems go much deeper than the manager, it seems inevitable that Carrick will pay the price with his job, with Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte the leading contenders to replace him.

United's decision-makers usually act within 24 hours of a disastrous result, meaning Carrick should be sacked today if he is to leave. Here's a round-up of how long the club's last six permanent managers had to wait...

And when Amorim openly condemned the director of football during his post-match press conference, he was told on the Monday morning, about 18 hours later.

With United sitting in 14th place after a 2-1 loss to West Ham, Ten Hag was notified of his departure by chief executive Omar Berrada and then-sporting director Dan Ashworth.

He revealed to The Athletic: "Nobody told me, but I knew at half-time against Watford. We didn't look like a Man United team." The axe formally dropped the next day when he was called to a meeting by Ed Woodward.

Jose Mourinho

Possibly due to his standing in football - or the cost of ripping up his contract - Mourinho was dismissed almost two days after his final match, a 3-1 loss to Liverpool, which left the team 19 points behind their fierce rivals.

Among the more brutal dismissals, given the Dutchman had just won the FA Cup. Less than 24 hours later, he was told his services were no longer required. The official announcement came on the Monday, with Mourinho installed the following day.

David Moyes

Following a 2-0 defeat at former club Everton, Sir Alex Ferguson's successor was officially relieved of his duties less than 48 hours afterwards in discussions with Woodward. Moyes had anticipated the outcome, having seen reports of his looming dismissal in the media the day before.