Carrick on the brink as Manchester United weigh Howe and Nagelsmann after Bournemouth humiliation

Michael Carrick is facing the sack as Manchester United head coach after three-hour talks with club hierarchy on Monday produced no resolution, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann emerging as the leading candidates to replace him.

The 45-year-old’s position became untenable following Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, a result that extended United’s winless run to seven matches and dropped them to 16th in the Premier League table with just seven points from a possible 24.

Carrick was present at United’s Carrington training complex on Monday to watch the under-21s — with first-team players included — face Hull City. Chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox were also at the facility as the club’s hierarchy assessed its options.

The defeat to Bournemouth was United’s starkest result of a deeply troubled start to the season, with the visitors running out comfortable winners on home soil at Old Trafford. The scale of the loss appeared to accelerate internal discussions about the club’s managerial direction.

Howe, currently without a club after leaving Newcastle United, and Germany’s former head coach Nagelsmann are understood to be the frontrunners should United move to dismiss Carrick. No formal announcement had been made at the time of writing.