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Michael Carrick’s Manchester United tenure is hanging by a thread. The Red Devils are now winless in eight matches after suffering the latest in a long line of humiliating results this season. The 20-time English champions were dismantled at home by Bournemouth, with the Cherries running out comfortable 3-0 winners. It’s deja vu for United, who once again find themselves scratching their heads and asking where it all went wrong for the man in charge.
There is now a growing expectation that after two wins in 12 to start to the season, Carrick will be let go. In the meantime, those who voted in an Express Sport poll have made it clear who should replace Carrick at Old Trafford.
It’s reported that United’s three-man shortlist consists of Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Fabian Hurzeler. However, the man who topped the standings in our poll was in fact Eddie Howe, who got 28 per cent of the vote.
The Englishman left his post at Newcastle United on the eve of the new season, and is already being linked with a return to the Premier League. Howe spent five years in charge of the Magpies and was responsible for ending their trophy drought and delivering Champions League football to St. James’ Park on two occasions.
As for the other names in the mix to take over as manager, Conte was the next highest, with the Italian returning a whopping 21 per cent. German duo Nagelsmann and Hurzeler managed 16 and 13 per cent respectively, while perhaps surprisingly, Gareth Southgate finished above Cesc Fabregas with 12 per cent compared to the Spaniard’s 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, ex-United ace Gary Neville has branded the club’s situation an ‘absolute mess’. Speaking to Sky Sports, he remarked: “The Manchester United fans are singing the Michael Carrick song because I think they know what's going to happen here. They've seen this before.
“He's one of their own and he's popular. But the owners, the sporting department and the players are not popular and they've badly let this football club down.
“Those two [Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox] tomorrow are probably going to make a decision that will disgust Manchester United fans, but it's probably necessary. It's just an absolute mess.”