Manchester United could sack Michael Carrick as their manager should the Red Devils fail to win against Bournemouth, according to a report, as Eddie Howe and Antonio Conte are two of the candidates who are keen on the role at Old Trafford.

Pressure is increasing on Carrick after Man Utd suffered a 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

Man Utd have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and have picked up only seven points from seven Premier League games so far this season.

TEAMtalk has reported that Man Utd director of football, Jason Wilcox, is still backing Carrick as the manager.

The reliable transfer news outlet has claimed: ‘Despite the mounting scrutiny, TEAMtalk has been told that United are not currently planning an immediate managerial change.

‘But the next four games are viewed as hugely significant, with the November international break approaching and pressure growing for Carrick’s side to deliver a response.’

Michael Carrick given Bournemouth game to save his job

However, another source has now stated that Man Utd could sack Carrick if the Red Devils fail to win against Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Touchline, which has 1.7million followers on X, reported at 6:50am on October 22: ‘EXCLUSIVE: Michael Carrick faces a HIGH RISK of being SACKED if Manchester United fail to beat Bournemouth in their next game.

‘The board believes the players have LOST FAITH in him and doubts his ability to turn the situation around.

‘Manchester United have already begun the process of identifying potential replacements should they decide to part ways with Carrick.’

Howe, Conte and Nagelsmann keen on Man Utd job

Among the managerial candidates that Man Utd are looking at are Eddie Howe, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann.

Howe, Conte and  Nagelsmann are without a managerial role at the moment, and all of them are ready to replace Carrick as the Man Utd manager, should the Red Devils’ co-owners, INEOS, decide to pull the trigger.

Journalist Dean Jones has reported in FlashScore that both “Antonio Conte and Eddie Howe are understood to be keen on the job should it become available”.

According to The Telegraph, Nagelsmann is ‘keen on the role’ at Man Utd.

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson, though, believes that Man Utd co-owners INEOS should stick with Carrick as the manager.

Merson told Sky Sports: “This isn’t a shock. I didn’t expect them to beat Leeds at the weekend. I didn’t expect them to beat Como tonight.

“That’s where they are, but we’re caught in this cycle of ‘it’s Man Utd. Rooney, Ronaldo, Carrick, Giggs, Beckham, Keane, Scholes. No, far from it.

“It’s a bad result. It’s a bit like snakes and ladders. They get to the top of the ladder and then get to the snake and go back down again. It’s got to get steadied out.

“To steady the ship, I think you’ve got to keep with the same manager. He’s proven that he did get results last year.

“This is what I wanted to see from Michael Carrick last season. When it was going well and people were saying give him the job, it’s easy when you’re winning every week.

“It’s when you’re not doing well how the manager reacts. Now is the time to see how you are going to react.

“What do you change the manager for? You could bring in [Carlo] Ancelotti and tell him to win the league but he will fail miserably. But, if you want to come in and start learning how to walk first and go from there…

“It’s just bringing managers in and it’s the same thing. It’s Man Utd, you’ve got to win the league. You’re entitled to get top four. That’s not Man Utd anymore.

“[Antonio] Conte comes in, he will go ‘we are going to get tight at the back and start from there’. They have done it the wrong way around. They went forwards, then midfielders and said we will go defenders after.

“I think they are here for a long time. The way financial fair play is, they can’t go out and buy all the top players in the world. They are buying on a flip of a coin.”