Despite an eight-game winless run, which included heavy defeats to Como and Bournemouth, Manchester United have decided to give Michael Carrick more time following internal talks after Sunday's loss to the Cherries.

While he remains United's head coach, Carrick is seemingly on borrowed time. Roundtable reported on Tuesday that financial reasons played a big role in United's decision to keep Carrick. If Carrick were to be sacked, United would need to pay off the rest of his contract, which runs until June 2028.

If United were to hire a manager who is currently in a job, they would also have to agree to a deal with that manager's club. Even hiring Eddie Howe, who left Newcastle United in the summer, would require United to pay the Magpies a few million pounds.

United now prepare to travel to Stamford Bridge to face Xabi Alonso's Chelsea on Saturday as Carrick looks to turn things around and save his job. After that, United's focus turns to the Champions League, where the Reds welcome Italian side AS Roma to Old Trafford.

While United have decided to give Carrick more time, Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, revealed that the Old Trafford hierarchy held talks with potential replacements.

"United had some conversations with agents and represenatives of other managers," Romano explained.

"The three names that should be taken into consideration are, in this order: Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte.

"United are yet to decide who they would want, so it's still open.

"Unai Emery is also appreciated by United, but Emery is completely focused on Aston Villa. They are very happy with him, and he is loving life at Villa," Romano said.

Howe, Nagelsmann and Conte are all good managers in their own right, but they all have question marks over them. Howe's style of play is not expansive enough in possession to win a Premier League title, and while Conte is a world-class manager and a proven winner, United need stability. Conte is unlikely to give United that, as he typically does not spend much longer than two years in a job.

Nagelsmann is perhaps the best suited of the three. He wants to dominate possession and likes to counter-press, but nothing in his current body of work necessarily suggests that he would be capable of turning around a club like United.

While Emery would be difficult to get, he ticks a lot of boxes. He has won five Europa League titles and has qualified for the Champions League with Aston Villa on two occasions. 

United's financial situation isn't the best, which means they will likely be restricted in how much they can spend over the coming transfer windows. Emery has proven he can improve players who are struggling and get the very best out of his players. He can unite his team and has the right personality to lead United.

While he was probably not as successful as he would have hoped to be at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, that experience could prove to be vital to him, should he take over at United.