Michael Carrick is still in charge of Manchester United, but only by the skin of his teeth, after just two victories in 12 matches this season and a run of eight games without a win of any kind.
There was a growing feeling that INEOS would dismiss him earlier this week, but it has been claimed the board were unable to agree on a replacement. As a result, Carrick has been given a stay of execution and will take charge of this weekend's clash against Chelsea.
Fixture list offers no respite
Following that match, the fixture list does not let up, with back-to-back home games against Roma and Aston Villa. If results do not improve, the international break could provide INEOS with the perfect opportunity to remove Carrick for good and appoint a successor.
However, if the stumbling block was deciding on the perfect candidate this week, it is unlikely to have changed much in a couple of weeks.
Fans favour Howe and Emery over Conte
Express Sport readers are hesitant to see Antonio Conte appointed as Carrick's replacement. In a poll run on the Express Sport website, only 18 per cent of voters backed the Italian to become the next United boss, compared to 26 per cent for Eddie Howe and 27 per cent for Unai Emery.
Conte performed better than other options, including Julian Nagelsmann, who returned just 10 per cent of the overall vote. Meanwhile, Fabian Hurzeler, Kieran McKenna, and Cesc Fabregas each returned four per cent of the vote, showing how divided the decision on United's next manager is, even among fans.
Carrick vows to fight on
Carrick is intending to fight until the bitter end. Speaking at Thursday's press conference, he said: "To be honest, disappointment from the game, the result, initial disappointment.
"That's pretty, pretty clear, you know, the way the game went and the result.
"Dealing with that is the main thing: what could we have done better, what could we improve on, what can we make the difference with?
"Then focusing on getting back to training with the players and preparing for the next game, for Chelsea, and a big week ahead really. That's been my main focus, you know: how can we make the difference?"
