Eddie Howe would likely insist on bringing his trusted backroom team to Manchester United as Michael Carrick is expected to be sacked today. United are leaning towards a managerial change after winning just one of their opening 10 Premier League games, leaving them in the relegation zone.
Howe is among the leading candidates to take over, with director of football Jason Wilcox understood to be an advocate of the former Newcastle boss. United are "moving towards" dismissing Carrick, although a final decision has yet to be reached. There is said to be a "growing expectation" within the club that the 45-year-old will lose his job.
Wilcox leading the review
Wilcox is leading the review alongside chief executive Omar Berrada. The pair will make a recommendation to Sir Jim Ratcliffe once they reach their conclusion.
Carrick was given more time during the last international break, but has been unable to deliver a sustained improvement. Sunday's 4-4 draw with Aston Villa left him with one win, one defeat and one draw from United's latest run of fixtures.
Identifying a successor
Work has already begun on identifying a successor. According to talkSPORT, Wilcox is "leaning towards" Howe, while Julian Nagelsmann and United States manager Mauricio Pochettino are also potential options.
But persuading Howe to take the Old Trafford job could depend on United's willingness to accommodate his preferred coaching staff. The unattached 48-year-old, who left Newcastle last July after five years in charge, previously saw a potential move to Celtic collapse in 2021 after an agreement could not be reached over his backroom team.
"I felt that if I was to come into a pressured job like [Celtic], I needed to go in with a sense of stability," Howe told The Athletic in 2022. "I could have recruited new staff, but then you're working each other out and there's a transition process where it probably takes three, four, five months. That's five months too late. I needed my staff with me and we couldn't get them together."
Howe's established team
Should United make an offer, they would be expected to seek agreements with Howe's established team: assistant Jason Tindall, first-team coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, and sports scientist Dan Hodges. All four worked with him at Bournemouth and Newcastle.
United already have a substantial coaching setup. Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans, Travis Binnion and Craig Mawson were brought in when Carrick took charge as interim head coach in January. It remains unclear whether they would leave with Carrick or stay at Old Trafford, potentially limiting Howe's scope to bring in his own staff.
United have previously accommodated an incoming manager's chosen team, allowing Ruben Amorim to bring five members of staff from Sporting CP in 2024. If Howe becomes their preferred choice, similar assurances could prove crucial.
