Conte 'has said yes' to United as Carrick's five-game winless run deepens crisis

Michael Carrick’s tenure as Manchester United manager is under mounting pressure after a 5-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid extended the club’s winless run to five games, leaving them with just two wins from nine this season — their worst start to a league campaign in four decades.

With Sunday’s visit to rivals Leeds shaping up as a potential turning point, speculation over Carrick’s future has intensified. Free agent Antonio Conte has emerged as the leading candidate to replace him, with Italian outlet Calciomercato reporting the former Chelsea and Napoli boss “would accept” the role and is awaiting an approach.

Conte, 57, won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017 and claimed the Serie A title with Napoli in 2025 before departing amid reported tensions at the club. He is currently without a club, as is former Germany and Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who is also understood to be in contention should United move for a managerial change.

There are caveats to a potential Conte appointment. His spells at Chelsea and Tottenham both ended in acrimony, and some observers believe he is better suited to arriving ahead of a full pre-season rather than mid-campaign. Despite those reservations, sources in Italy suggest he remains receptive to the idea.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has also been linked with the vacancy. Manchester United legend Paul Scholes described the 33-year-old German as “the real deal” on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, noting the work he has done at the Amex Stadium. Hurzeler became the youngest head coach in Premier League history when he took charge of Brighton two years ago and has since guided the Seagulls to back-to-back eighth-place finishes — as well as knocking United out of the EFL Cup earlier this season.

Carrick, who stepped into the role on an interim basis, has yet to secure a permanent contract and faces a defining few days as the club weighs its options heading into a congested fixture run.