Manchester United could yet keep Michael Carrick on as boss, but with additional coaching support as the club's senior figures weigh up their next move.
The likes of Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox will sit down at a summit with minority owner and Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday in Monaco, where the expectation is that Carrick will be removed from his role.
He has presided over a run of one win in 10 Premier League games to start the season, which has left the club in the relegation zone. There has been a willingness to see Carrick succeed and the hierarchy have stood by him despite just three wins all season.
Coaching reinforcements under consideration
If Carrick is to remain in charge beyond the international break, then there is the option to bring in more coaching quality around him, given the United boss has ultimately never been in charge of a Premier League club.
Bayern Munich coach Aaron Danks, who worked with Carrick at Middlesbrough and was seen as a potential appointment in the summer, is one option, reports the BBC.
Carrick already has Steve Holland alongside him. Holland was previously Chelsea's assistant and then worked as Gareth Southgate's No 2 for a number of successful years with England. But clearly the current set-up is not working and the club are looking to make a positive change.
No successor lined up
Ultimately they had never planned for a managerial change, and especially not this early in the season. As a result no one has been lined up and appointing managers midseason presents its own challenges, but there are a number of candidates on their radar, several being out of work.
Mauricio Pochettino is among those who are in a job, he's leading the USA but has been linked with the post previously. Eddie Howe left Newcastle in the summer and could be tempted back into management. His Premier League experience is a plus. Big name foreign coaches are also being eyed, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte are two of the names most regularly mentioned.
Nagelsmann has led Bayern and Germany whilst Conte has won league titles with four different clubs - one of those being Chelsea. Both men who fit the bill of being able to lead a heavyweight club, even if United are at their lowest ebb during the Premier League era.
Carrick's blushes were saved on Sunday when United scored twice in stoppage time to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa. United had twice trailed by two goals before making comebacks, but the game continued to showcase their flaws defensively, which have plagued them throughout the campaign.
