Manchester United manager Michael Carrick finds his position under fresh pressure following a 4-1 loss in the Champions League at Como, with the Red Devils having already identified the man they see as the ‘leading candidate’ to replace him. Here's what it all means for the weeks ahead at Old Trafford.

Carrick was made manager on a full-time basis in the summer following a strong end to the season that pushed United back into the European big time.

However, the Red Devils have made a disastrous start to the new campaign. Carrick has led his side to only two victories in 11 matches across all competitions, while the one-sided nature of the defeat in Italy on Wednesday has brought his future into sharp focus.

Will Man Utd sack Carrick after Como defeat?

Carrick’s job is in danger, but he will not be sacked in the immediate aftermath of the loss to Como, The Telegraph reports.

It claims that the former England international midfielder ‘could’ be sacked should United turn in another adverse performance against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday. There is little certainty around this, however, with a suggestion that the manager could be given until the next international break in November.

Pressure also appears to be growing on Carrick from within the squad, with Bruno Fernandes apparently critical of the manager’s tactics for the Como clash.

Speaking to the media after the game, the captain was asked if the tactics were wrong. He responded: “That's on the manager and on the staff to see, it is not on me. I just said that I think sometimes we have to be more brave under pressure, trying to take the risk of getting that press very high and making them uncomfortable, as they did to us.

"As you saw, the centre-back was coming to mark me all the way into my own half. And I think sometimes, we had to do that as a team, and we were not really able to do it.

"A team that wants to play through the middle and likes small connections, if you give them too much time on the ball to think and to rotate in the middle of the pitch, then they create a big space on the outside. That's what they did, and the first goal comes from that."

These comments came a week after Lisandro Martinez spoke out against the lack of recruitment last summer, earning a fine for his words.

Julian Nagelsmann the ‘leading candidate’ to replace Carrick

Former Bayern Munich and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has been pinpointed as a ‘leading candidate’ to take Carrick’s job.

United feel that they need a “bigger name and a stronger personality”, with the 39-year-old interested in the post.

Meanwhile, there is no interest in Antonio Conte due to fears that he would not fit into the club’s project.

What would United be getting with Nagelsmann?

German football expert Ronan Murphy has tempered expectations over Nagelsmann’s potential impact at Man Utd should he take the job.

Speaking to FootballTransfers, he said: “Julian Nagelsmann was once the next big thing in coaching. However, after stints at Bayern Munich and Germany, the expectations for the young manager have become more realistic.

“He's still under 40, but has been coaching top-level football for over a decade and has success stories at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. Nagelsmann proved at both these clubs that he could coach up players, turning average talents into much more than their raw ability.

“At Hoffenheim, that worked a treat as the club profited hugely from the players he was able to look better than they really were. Similarly, at Leipzig, that has always been their model and he was the perfect fit for the talent conveyor belt that is the Red Bull Arena.

“Big egos were probably too big at Bayern, both in the playing department and the boardroom, and that saw him axed unfairly as he was starting to grow into the role.

“This current Germany was always going to be too much for any coach, as Hansi Flick saw before he went on to better things at Barcelona, and Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly realise now he has returned to management.

“Nagelsmann will have learned from these experiences and his proven track record of developing players makes him seem like the perfect target for Man Utd. But does he want to go into another role where the off-field stuff tends to be a bigger story than what's happening on the pitch? Maybe the once-clever wonderkid is still too clever for that?”