Antonio Conte and Michael Carrick side by side
Antonio Conte would be prepared to succeed Michael Carrick as Manchester United head coach, talkSPORT understands.
Carrick is under mounting pressure to turn United's fortunes around following a poor start to the season.
2Carrick is struggling to build upon Man Utd's strong finish to the 2025/26 seasonCredit: Getty
The Manchester giants sit 13th in the Premier League having collected six points from the opening six games.
And United followed up a 1-1 draw with 19th-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a disappointing 2-0 loss at Atletico Madrid to extend their winless run to five matches.
And with a seemingly unhappy dressing room to contend with, Carrick may be shown the Old Trafford exit sooner rather than later.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is known to be admired by the United hierarchy, while Julian Nagelsmann is another option.
But one possible contender for the job has already reached out to the club to express interest...
Conte ready to save Man Utd?
talkSPORT understands representatives of Conte have told United would be interested in taking over should Carrick face the axe.
The former Chelsea and Spurs boss guided Napoli to the 2024/25 Scudetto.
However, he left his role at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona helm earlier this year having finished second to Inter Milan.
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And Conte has previously refused to rule out a Premier League return as rumours of Carrick's potential exit continue to swirl.
Lisandro Martinez saga
Carrick's most pressing task is to deal with a seemingly unhappy dressing room.
2Martinez tore into the United decision makers following Tuesday's defeat to Atletico MadridCredit: Getty
The most recent defeat in Spain prompted a furious response from centre-back Lisandro Martinez, who took aim at the club's board for failing to strengthen the squad over the summer.
talkSPORT understands the Argentina star has the backing of senior United players.
"It was really poor, really poor," Martinez told Amazon Prime shortly after the defeat to Atletico Madrid.
"I have to control myself a lot. But sometimes it's a reflection of our club at the moment. We did it last season and now we expect more from the top.
"To bring more players, to compete. Other teams bring in many more players. I expect more from everyone… 100 per cent I expected more from our technical director.
"I have to be honest and also the players have to do more but it's just important when you make a strong squad for this type of night.
"Last season we created a base to build an amazing team. It's annoying and disappointing to come here and I'm not seeing my team get an amazing result here."
On Carrick and whether or not he was backed enough, Martinez added: "I don't think so. He does his best. The team knows how you play, every detail and if you don't change the next season, it's a big problem.
"You start changing, changing, changing manager, but what about other areas.
"I can't say more. It's easy to say the players but also we have to see other areas."