According to David Ornstein, although the club insists that no final decision has been made, several sources have revealed that Manchester United have already begun identifying potential replacements. These sources, who requested anonymity to protect their relationships, expect the club to complete a managerial change before their away trip to Liverpool in 13 days' time.

US national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be among the leading candidates. Former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, who most recently managed the Germany national team, are also highly regarded within the club.

Any final decision regarding Michael Carrick's future will require approval from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, the club's majority shareholders.

Carrick's position has been increasingly precarious over the past few weeks. His team have managed just one league victory so far this season and have won only three matches across all competitions.

Following Manchester United's 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last month, the club's hierarchy initially decided to give Carrick and his players more time to turn things around. However, the team have since managed just one victory in their next three matches, a Champions League win over Roma. The current expectation is that the 45-year-old's brief spell as permanent manager will come to an end before the team's next fixture.

In May this year, Carrick signed a two-year contract to become Manchester United's permanent head coach after an impressive spell as interim manager. He had initially taken charge in January, replacing Ruben Amorim on a temporary basis. When Carrick first stepped into the role, United were sitting seventh in the Premier League. However, the team's performances improved significantly under his leadership. They collected an impressive 39 points from their remaining 17 league matches, eventually finishing third.

No other club earned more Premier League points than Manchester United following Carrick's appointment last season. That impressive run included victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. However, that domestic momentum has failed to carry over into the current campaign. United have won just one of their opening 10 Premier League matches and have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Brighton.