Michael Carrick carrying on but senior Man Utd figures concerned by poor performances

Manchester United have begun the process of identifying possible replacements for head coach Michael Carrick, even as he is expected to remain in charge for Sunday's Premier League match against Bournemouth, BBC Sport reported Thursday.

Carrick is said to be carrying on as normal and has not been told of any imminent change following Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como — United's seventh consecutive match without a win. But sources at Old Trafford told the BBC that some senior figures believe the squad should be doing much better, with one saying: "We have a Champions League squad and need to be playing at that level."

Another source accepted the club's injury list "doesn't help, but no excuse," adding that effort levels had been questioned internally. Captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick's tactics in the fallout from the Como defeat, which left United with only two wins from 11 games in their worst run since 2015-16.

The BBC reports that Eddie Howe, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann are all understood to have their eyes on the Old Trafford job, while Aston Villa's Unai Emery and Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler are highly regarded by some in the club hierarchy.

It is the third year in a row United have publicly and financially backed a manager in the summer only for the season to unravel — Ruben Amorim staggered on to January before being sacked. The players, given Thursday off, return to Carrington on Friday, with United's next Premier League game looming and the only certainty, as the BBC puts it, being the sense of uncertainty.