Michael Carrick on the brink as Manchester United hold crisis talks at Carrington

Michael Carrick arrived at the Carrington training ground on Monday while Manchester United's leadership team held crisis talks over whether to dismiss the manager. The decision comes after the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth extended United's winless run to eight matches in all competitions.

• United's hierarchy met at Carrington to discuss the manager's future.
• The club has gone eight straight matches without a win and sits 16th in the Premier League.
• Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann are among the candidates under consideration.
• Carrick dropped Bruno Fernandes after the captain criticised his tactics.
• Old Trafford fans applauded Carrick and booed the players after the 0-3 loss.

United chiefs gather at Carrington to decide Michael Carrick's future

Technical director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada were seen arriving at Carrington on Monday morning. Carrick himself turned up in the afternoon to watch a behind-closed-doors under-21 fixture, while the club weighed up whether to remove the former midfielder from his post.

Speaking after the Bournemouth defeat, Carrick said he had only held a brief conversation with the club's leadership once the game finished. "Just briefly like always after a game, but nothing out of the ordinary," he explained, admitting he does not know if Berrada and Wilcox will dismiss him.

"I'm not expecting anything in particular. I am carrying on as normal. I love this place. I'll always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club, whatever decision is made."

Any change would come just ten months after Carrick took over on an interim basis following the departure of Ruben Amorim. A third-place finish in the Premier League last season earned him the full-time job, but results have fallen away sharply since then.

Eight games without a win leaves United's season in freefall

Manchester United have collected seven points from their first eight league games, their lowest tally at this stage since 1986. The eight-match winless streak across all competitions is the club's longest since the end of 2015, with recent defeats including a 4-1 home loss to Como, a 3-0 reverse against Bournemouth and a 2-0 Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid.

United sit 16th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone. At Old Trafford, supporters applauded Carrick as he made his way down the tunnel and aimed their anger at the players, a sign that much of the crowd places the blame inside the dressing room rather than on the bench.

Bruno Fernandes tension adds to the pressure on Carrick

Carrick left Bruno Fernandes out of the side for the Bournemouth match after the captain questioned the manager's approach following the heavy defeat to Como. The decision did not pay off: United produced another disjointed performance and conceded three times at home.

Fernandes' comments came shortly after Lisandro Martinez criticised the club's hierarchy in the aftermath of the loss to Atletico Madrid. The internal friction has added another layer to a campaign that has unravelled with startling speed for a side that finished third just a few months ago.

Former United player Gary Neville launched a scathing attack on the squad and accused several players of giving up on Carrick. Without naming individuals, he claimed some footballers do not go to bed at the right time, do not eat properly and are not living and breathing the club as professionals should.

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann among the names to replace Carrick

Eddie Howe, the former Newcastle manager, is the leading candidate to take over at Old Trafford. Reports in the English press describe Howe as the preferred choice of technical director Jason Wilcox, with contact already said to have been made between the two parties.

Julian Nagelsmann is also available after leaving the Germany national team following the World Cup and features on the club's list of options. United may also turn to another interim appointment, the same path they followed when Ruben Amorim left the club earlier this year.

Antonio Conte had emerged as a potential target in recent days, but the Italian issued a statement distancing himself from the Manchester United job and dismissed reports of advanced negotiations with any club as speculation.

Carrick backed by supporters but facing an uncertain wait

The manager insisted his wave to the Old Trafford crowd after the Bournemouth game was not a farewell. "It wasn't a farewell from me," he said, while describing a dressing room full of emotion, disappointment and players who are hurting.

United fans gave Carrick a warm reception even as the players were jeered off the pitch. The 0-3 defeat leaves the club searching for answers, and the coming hours will determine whether Carrick remains in charge or becomes the second managerial casualty at Old Trafford within a year.

Frequently asked questions about the Manchester United crisis