Manchester United have made their worst start to a league season since 1986. They exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle last month and are closer to the Premier League relegation zone than the top four following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Leeds United, so the pressure is mounting on manager Michael Carrick.
That trip to Elland Road extended United's winless run in all competitions to six games ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League trip to Serie A's Como. But Carrick said that the result against Daniel Farke's side marked a "fresh start" for his team.
United have dismissed a manager in each of the last two seasons, however, -- Erik ten Hag was fired in October 2024, followed by Ruben Amorim in January 2026.
So with results continuing to be disappoint and Carrick, who guided United to Champions League qualification as interim manager last season, struggling to prove he is the man for the job, who are the most likely candidates to replace the 45-year-old at Old Trafford if he fails to inspire a change of fortune?
Here are the managers on United's radar -- and the prospects of them being the next one to take on one of football's biggest, and toughest, jobs.
Eddie Howe (unattached)
Positives
The 48-year-old is taking a break from the game after stepping down as Newcastle United manager in August following almost five years in charge. During his time at St James' Park, Howe saved the club from relegation after taking charge in November 2021 before guiding the team to Champions League qualification on two occasions and ending a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by winning the Carabao Cup in 2025.
Howe is a proven Premier League manager with a track record at Newcastle and Bournemouth. He is a team builder, tactically astute and his ability to transform the fortunes of players like Joelinton and Dan Burn at Newcastle would appeal to United, whose squad is stacked with players who are failing to live up to their potential. Another key element with Howe is his immediate availability.
Negatives
Howe will deliver stability and consistency wherever he manages, but does he possess the X-factor for a club of United's magnitude? That is perhaps a harsh question to ask of a coach whose credentials are without question, but United need a coach to lift the whole club and its fanbase. Howe's "Steady Eddie" persona might be exactly what they need, but also what they really don't need right now.
That strange dilemma is probably why United are in the mess they are in. They need the stability and calmness -- and direction -- that Howe would bring, but they also need a personality to become the focal point and leader of a club that has lost direction. Howe wins on the football basics, but United need more than that.
Suitability rating
3/5: Howe would be a sensible appointment, but that isn't enough for Manchester United.
Antonio Conte (unattached)
Positives
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have hired seven managers and only one -- José Mourinho -- arrived at Old Trafford having previously won, or even competed for, the Premier League title. Conte's 2016-17 triumph with Chelsea would put him in the Mourinho category as a proven winner. The 57-year-old has also won Serie A titles with Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli and domestic cups in Italy and England, so if United want to hire somebody with a glittering CV, Conte can certainly point to an array of success.
He is also a coach who has made an instant impact at many of his previous clubs, winning the title in his first season at Chelsea and Napoli and initially starting well at Tottenham Hotspur. So the short, sharp shock of a Conte appointment could jolt the United squad into a rapid improvement. And like Howe, Conte is available after leaving Napoli in the summer.
Negatives
The problem with Conte is that there are plenty of negatives. Many would argue that they outweigh the positives. The former Italy coach is confrontational with his players and also those in the boardroom, while the majority of his previous jobs have ended in acrimony.
If Carrick goes, United might want somebody to get tough with the under-performing squad. Conte would do that, but his ultra-demanding approach could have a negative effect on a group of players that has rarely shown toughness, so a bad situation could become worse. Since leaving Juventus for the Italy job in 2014, Conte has had four club jobs and never lasted more than two years in any of them, so if United want long-term then he isn't their man.
Suitability rating
2/5: It would be lively at United under Conte, but he's just too abrasive to make it work.
Kieran McKenna (unattached)
Positives
The former Ipswich Town manager would be the inexpensive and inoffensive option for United. At 40, McKenna is a young coach with a big future having earned three promotions with Ipswich after leaving his role as first-team coach at Old Trafford to take charge of then-League One side in December 2021.
McKenna's success at Portman Road saw him shortlisted for the Chelsea job in May 2024 before missing out to Enzo Maresca, but after standing down at Ipswich this summer, his availability and familiarity with United would appeal to the Old Trafford hierarchy. If United want a coach with a level-headed personality to work within their existing structure, McKenna would be a good fit.
Negatives
In many ways, if United replaced Carrick with McKenna it would be a like-for-like change. If he returned to Old Trafford, working once again with players including Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford, would it be enough of a change or simply a different face delivering the same message?
McKenna lacks Carrick's credentials as a top-class player, but his managerial success to date would balance that out. McKenna's one season in the Premier League ended in relegation, so that would not sit well with a club of United's stature. McKenna might be a future United manager, but right now he needs to take another step before really being an option for one of the world's biggest clubs.
Suitability rating
2/5: Too inexperienced and too similar to Carrick
Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Positives
The 33-year-old has built a sensational young team at Brighton that are now threatening to challenge for the Premier League title and maybe even emulate Leicester City's shock success in 2016. Hürzeler, who became the youngest-ever Premier League coach when he arrived from St Pauli as a 31-year-old in 2024, has benefited from Brighton's renowned recruitment department. But his coaching and tactical acumen has developed the team and turned the Seagulls into a high-energy, aggressive and confident side.
Last month's 3-0 win against champions Arsenal proving their ability to compete with the best. And if United are looking for ability and personality, Hurzeler's active touchline presence is a key part of his make-up and Brighton's performances. His outspoken criticism of Mikel Arteta's tactics at Arsenal last season highlighted his readiness to take on the leading coaches.
Negatives
Having signed a three-year contract extension at Brighton in May, United would be faced with a hefty compensation bill for Hürzeler and that could put him out of the running due to the financial restrictions imposed by Old Trafford minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. At such a young age, Hurzeler also has question marks over his experience and readiness for a job as big as United, whose gamble on the 39-year-old Amorim two years ago backfired spectacularly.
Hürzeler's high-energy philosophy would be unlikely to work with a United squad that is the second-oldest in the Premier League and his spiky personality might also clash with director of football Jason Wilcox, not to mention the team's senior players.
Suitability rating
4/5: Maybe the right coach at the wrong time, but if United want to be bold and exciting then Hürzeler should be their guy.
Julian Nagelsmann (unattached)
Positives
The 39-year-old is out of work, available and with a point to prove after failing to succeed in his last two jobs with Germany and Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann earned his status as one of Europe's rising coaching stars with success at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before moving to Bayern at the age of just 33 in 2021.
He is regarded as a big-thinker tactically and a coach with laser-like focus on detail, so he could bring much needed cohesion and clarity to the United team.
Negatives
Nagelsmann is available because his last two jobs didn't work out and they were big jobs of a similar stature to the one at United, so one of the question marks over him is whether he has the attributes to coach at the highest level or if his qualities are better suited to clubs with smaller budgets and more limited ambitions.
His time at Bayern ended badly amid reports of clashes with senior players and it was a similar story this summer following Germany's round-of-32 exit from the FIFA World Cup. Nagelsmann is young enough to bounce back, learn from his last two experiences and succeed again, but United is probably not the environment for a coach to rehabilitate himself.
Suitability rating
1/5: Too much of a risk on both sides for Nagelsmann and United to work out.
Thomas Tuchel (England)
Positives
Tuchel is a big-name coach with the character and self-confidence to take on the United job without any sense of fear or trepidation. He has won domestic titles in France and Germany with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich and also guided Chelsea to Champions League success in 2021, so Tuchel ticks every box for United.
If United want to hire a proven winner with a personality to match his track record, then Tuchel -- who was interviewed for the job in 2024 -- is the perfect fit.
Negatives
Plenty. First of all, Tuchel is the England manager and he extended his contract earlier this year to tie him to the job until the end of Euro 2028, so the 53-year-old is as close to unattainable as possible. But even if Tuchel and the English Football Association parted company in the months ahead, Tuchel's reputation for clashing with players and owners would make him a high-risk appointment for United.
When Tuchel spoke to United at the end of the 2023-24 season, an agreement between both parties was close until talks broke down, so the prospect of everyone returning to the table and expecting a different outcome would appear unlikely.
Suitability rating
4/5: If available, Tuchel would be ideal for United, despite the negatives. But while he remains England manager, there is no chance of him heading to Old Trafford.
