Manchester United have edged closer to sacking manager Michael Carrick, bringing his time in charge to an end as results slide and the club sit in the Premier League relegation zone.
The Red Devils went into the international break 18th in the table, inside the drop zone, after Sunday's thrilling 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
United's management insist no final decision has been made. Even so, multiple sources have told British newspaper "The Athletic" that officials have begun drawing up a list of candidates to replace Carrick, with his departure expected before the trip to face Liverpool at Anfield in 13 days.
Mauricio Pochettino, now manager of the United States national team, looks one of the frontrunners for the job. Eddie Howe, the former Newcastle United boss, and Julian Nagelsmann, who recently took charge of Germany, also hold admirers among some officials at the club.
Any final call on Carrick's future will need the approval of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, the majority owners.
The former midfielder's position has looked precarious for weeks. His team made a poor start to the season, winning just once in the league and only three times across all competitions.
After the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth last month, United's board chose to give Carrick and his players more time to turn things around and get back to winning ways.
Three matches followed, and they yielded just one win, over Roma in the Champions League. That only hardened expectations that Carrick's brief spell as permanent manager would end before the next game.
United had handed Carrick the permanent job last May on a two-year deal, rewarding the impressive run he produced as caretaker after taking over from Ruben Amorim in January.
His caretaker spell began with the team seventh in the Premier League. Carrick sparked a sharp upturn in results and performances, collecting 39 points from the remaining 17 games of the season to finish third.
No club gathered more league points than United across that stretch, with wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea along the way.
That domestic sparkle has deserted them this season. United have won just one of their first 10 Premier League matches and crashed out of the EFL Cup to Brighton.
