Eddie Howe is reportedly open to taking the Manchester United manager's role should the club decide to dismiss Michael Carrick. The former Newcastle United manager is understood to be Jason Wilcox's preferred candidate to take charge at Old Trafford, with preliminary discussions reportedly held between the parties.
United's Poor Start
United have endured a difficult start to the season, sitting 17th in the Premier League after winning just one of their opening nine matches. Carrick's side are also winless in their last nine games across all competitions, including Champions League defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como by 2-0 and 4-1 respectively. Recent league losses to Bournemouth and Chelsea have increased pressure on the United boss.
Despite calls for a change, United's decision-makers have chosen to stick with Carrick for now. Sources indicate senior officials have struggled to reach consensus on a successor, delaying any decision on his position. Club executives are believed to have informally decided to give Carrick until the November international window before assessing whether a managerial change is needed.
Howe and Other Candidates
According to The Guardian, Howe would be open to considering the Old Trafford role, though any appointment would depend on discussions. United would need to pay Newcastle approximately £3million in compensation to secure his services.
Howe is not the only manager to be sounded out. United's director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, is believed to be an admirer of Julian Nagelsmann, who has previously managed Germany and Bayern Munich. The report suggests Vivell has already contacted his fellow German to gauge his interest, with the pair having worked together at RB Leipzig.
Carrick's Position
There remains belief among some senior figures at United that Carrick can turn the club's fortunes around. The 45-year-old also retained the backing of away supporters following Saturday's loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
After the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, Carrick confirmed he would remain in charge for the upcoming Champions League fixture against AS Roma, stating: "Yes. We've got to move forward and win matches, it's as simple as that. There's no words that I'm going to explain to you now that makes it any different; it's not going to change it. You can move up the league quite quickly if you win football matches."
United sit above the relegation zone only on goal difference after a poor start to the campaign. The club have not been in the bottom three past August since November 1986, when Ron Atkinson was sacked and replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Attention now turns to the Champions League, with Roma visiting Old Trafford on Tuesday, November 3 (8pm kick-off), before a match against Aston Villa five days later in the final game before the international break.
