According to reports, Manchester United have picked out five potential replacements for Michael Carrick after a ‘significant’ change.

Earlier this year, Carrickwas drafted in to replace Ruben Amorim at Man Utd, with INEOS appointing the club legend on a deal until the end of this season.

And Carrick’s appointment has gone better than INEOS could have anticipated, with the interim boss winning six of his eight Premier League games to boost Man Utd’s hopes of securing Champions League qualification.

Man Utd currently sit third in the Premier League tableand will be in an even better position if they beat rivals Aston Villa at the weekend.

The Red Devils eked out wins against Everton and Crystal Palace despite flattering to deceive before they lost 2-1 to 10-man Newcastle last week, but club chiefs will be put in a difficult position if Carrick gets them into the Champions League.

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But a detailed new report from ESPNinsists that the permanent appointment of Carrick is far from guaranteed, though club chiefs have been ‘impressed’ at the interim boss ‘exceeding his remit’.

Regarding possible replacements, it is noted that Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to commit to England and Brazil has ‘had a significant impact on United’s list of coaches’.

The report claims ‘United’s ideal hire would be a coach who has won either the Premier League, Champions League or both, and Tuchel and Ancelotti would meet that criteria’, while they also meet INEOS’ ‘requirement’ to have ‘a coach with elite tactical acumen’.

And with Tuchel and Ancelotti out of the picture, there are no longer any ‘credible candidates who can meet the primary criteria of winning the biggest trophies’.

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Still, United have managed to draw up a five-man list of alternatives to Carrick.

The report explains:

‘The next group of candidates include Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner, former Brighton and Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann.

‘Sources have said that USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino is not regarded as an option, with senior United figures expecting him to return to Tottenham Hotspur when his contract with the United States Soccer Federation runs out after the World Cup.’

Pochettino may eventually become available because it is surely hard to see him taking charge of Spurs if they suffer relegation to the Championship.

Regardless, the current betting odds have Carrick as the favourite to land the Man Utd job permanently, but a host of alternatives closely follow him.

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