Manchester United sit 16th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone, and Antonio Conte is out of work. The relegation zone is the bottom three spots, where clubs drop to the second division. That mix explains why the next Man Utd manager debate refuses to die.
Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, October 25. Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson scored, while captain Bruno Fernandes sat on the bench for the full match.
Four days earlier, Como beat United 4-1 in the Champions League. Fernandes had criticised Michael Carrick’s tactics after that game, according to AP. Carrick benched him anyway and called it a “pure football” decision.
AFP reports the winless run now stands at eight games. Remember when United hammered Sabah 4-0 in September and the Champions League return felt like a homecoming? That feels like a decade ago.
Why Carrick Looks Out of Time
The numbers look ugly. United collected six points from their first six league games, their worst start since 1986, according to Sports Illustrated. Opta data showed seven points from seven games was already the club’s lowest total at that stage of a Premier League season.
Carrick earned the permanent job by finishing third last season and dragging United back into the Champions League. AP notes he signed that deal barely five months ago.
Supporters still sang his name late on Sunday while turning their anger toward the board, according to 101 Great Goals. That tells you exactly where the fans point the blame.
Reports say Carrick will stay in charge for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. Nobody at Old Trafford should mistake that for a vote of confidence.
What Conte Has Said and What He Has Won
Conte posted on Instagram on October 23 to cool the talk. He said “no negotiations at an advanced stage” exist with any club, and he called reports of demands for “full control” unfounded.
He left Napoli by mutual agreement, and the club confirmed the split on June 4. Napoli won Serie A in his first season, then finished second in 2025-26.
Yardbarker reports Conte is the only coach to win Serie A with three clubs: Juventus, Inter and Napoli. He also won the Premier League with Chelsea in his first season, 2016-17. Goal notes that Chelsea and Napoli had both finished 10th before he arrived.
The catch is staying power. Yardbarker points out that Juventus is the only club where he lasted more than two seasons.
Ashley Young, who played for Conte at Inter, said on The Overlap Daily that meetings could run three or four hours after a defeat. He also called some training sessions “a little bit boring.”
How Conte Compares With the Other Names
Conte is not the frontrunner. The Irish Examiner reports that United’s Jason Wilcox prefers Eddie Howe, who left Newcastle on July 30. Here is how the main options stack up.
| Candidate | Current situation | Reported link to United |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio Conte | Left Napoli on June 4 | Says no advanced talks exist |
| Eddie Howe | Left Newcastle on July 30 | Reported preferred choice of Jason Wilcox |
| Unai Emery | Aston Villa manager | Villa would want about £20m, per Irish Examiner |
| Julian Nagelsmann | Former Germany and Bayern Munich coach | Valued by recruitment head Christopher Vivell |
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes backs Conte. On The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, he said “Conte needs to come in and start banging some heads together,” according to Goal.
United fans know the usual cycle. A new manager arrives, the dressing room drifts, and the board shrugs. Conte either breaks that cycle or burns out inside two seasons, like most of his stops.
Saturday at Chelsea starts the clock. Lose again, and the next Man Utd manager stops being a rumor and becomes a deadline.
