Manchester United Start Looking at Options as Carrick Faces Bournemouth
Manchester United have started to identify possible replacements for head coach Michael Carrick, but he is still expected to be in charge for Sunday's match against Bournemouth.
The club has not announced any change. BBC Sport reports that Carrick is carrying on as normal and has not been told of any imminent move. The same report says Eddie Howe, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann are understood to be interested in the job.
The pressure follows a rough few weeks. Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim after the club sacked the Portuguese coach, and in January he agreed a deal in principle to run the team until the end of the season, according to Reuters. Since then, results have been patchy. On October 18, Leeds United drew 1-1 with United at Elland Road, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring the equaliser. That result stretched United's run to six games without a win.
On Wednesday, United lost 4-1 to Como, the Italian side. Afterwards Carrick apologised to supporters. He said his team had lacked intensity, aggression and a willingness to give everything, according to the club's website.
Players were given Thursday off. The club had not yet confirmed arrangements for a news conference on Friday to preview the Bournemouth match, which would normally be the first chance for supporters to hear from the coach since the Como defeat.
Carrick has been in this position before. On October 12, he admitted that United had fallen short of expectations, but he said the squad could come through a difficult spell. That was before the Como loss, and the questions about his future have grown since.
For supporters, the next few days are mostly about waiting. Carrick is expected on the touchline on Sunday, and any decision on the longer term would sit with the club's leadership. A head coach is the manager who picks the team, sets the tactics and speaks for the squad to the media. A change at that level can come quickly once it is made, but nothing has been announced.
What matters most now is the team's response on the pitch. Six games without a win is a long stretch for a club of United's size, and the fans who have stuck with the side will want to see a reaction against Bournemouth.
