Six games without a win, and half the Premier League is already speculating about who replaces Carrick at Manchester United

Sunday's 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road was not just another result. It stretched Manchester United's winless run in all competitions to six matches and left the team closer to the relegation zone than to the Top 4. Add in the first round Carabao Cup exit last month, and you understand why people are now talking about the club's worst start to a league season since 1986. The pressure on Michael Carrick, far from easing, keeps building.

Carrick himself tried to play down the crisis, calling the draw with Daniel Farke's side a "new beginning" for his group. That sounds fine, but Old Trafford's recent history does not exactly encourage patience: Manchester United has fired a manager in each of the last two seasons. Erik ten Hag was let go in October 2024, and Ruben Amorim suffered the same fate in January 2026. Carrick, who as caretaker had guided the team into the Champions League last season, still has not managed to establish himself as permanent manager. And in the meantime, Wednesday brings a trip to Italy to face Como.

Who would take the wheel if things do not improve? Several names are floating around, each with their own mix of strengths and risks.

The experienced options

Eddie Howe, available since leaving Newcastle in August after nearly five seasons, arrives with the credential of having saved that club from relegation, taken it to the Champions League twice, and ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by winning the Carabao Cup in 2025. He is a proven Premier League manager, good at building solid teams and getting the best out of players like Joelinton or Dan Burn. The question is whether he has that extra something Manchester United needs to excite its fans again. Rating: 3/5.

Antonio Conte, 57 and also without a club since leaving Napoli this past European summer, brings a resume few can match: the 2016-17 title with Chelsea, Serie A crowns with Juventus, Inter and Napoli, and cups in both Italy and England. He tends to deliver quick results, but his confrontational style with players and board members, along with his habit of never lasting more than two years at any club since leaving Juventus to coach Italy in 2014, raises red flags. Rating: 2/5.

Thomas Tuchel has everything a big club looks for on paper: the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea, league titles with PSG and Bayern Munich, and the personality to not shrink from the pressure at Old Trafford. He was already interviewed for the job in 2024, and talks reportedly came close to a deal before falling apart. The catch is that he currently manages England under contract through after Euro 2028, so for now he is more a fantasy name than an actual market option. Rating: 4/5.

The riskier bets

Kieran McKenna, 40, is being floated as the cheap, low-profile option. He led Ipswich Town to three promotions after leaving Manchester United's coaching staff in December 2021, and was even on Chelsea's shortlist in 2024 before the job went to Enzo Maresca. The risk is that bringing him in might just mean hearing the same message as Carrick's, only from a different voice, and his only Premier League experience ended in relegation. Rating: 2/5.

Fabian Hurzeler, just 33, has built a young, ambitious Brighton side that dreams of challenging for the title, something made clear by the 3-0 win over Arsenal last month. He signed a contract extension through 2028 in May, so prying him away would cost a considerable fee, and his youth raises doubts after what happened with Amorim. Rating: 4/5.

Finally, Julian Nagelsmann, 39 and available after his spells with Bayern Munich and the Germany national team, has a reputation as an obsessive tactical mind, but his two most recent jobs, at clubs of a similar size to Manchester United, did not work out. Rating: 1/5.