Manchester United could lose a key member of staff who will have a big say in who replaces Michael Carrick, should the current head coach be sacked.

Carrick has come under immense scrutiny after a run of just one win in 10 games across all competitions, with that streak stretching back to late August.

The Red Devils snapped that nine-game stretch without a victory on Tuesday in a dramatic 3-2 comeback against Roma in the Champions League, which could well have saved their under-fire boss.

Many thought that Carrick would be dismissed a fortnight ago after heavy defeats by Como and Bournemouth - 4-1 and 3-0 respectively - but he was kept on for the trip to Chelsea, which United lost 2-0, as Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer netted while Lisandro Martinez was sent off.

It appears that the head coach will be given until the November international break, when it has been reported that the club’s hierarchy will reassess his position, following the home Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday.

It is believed that there are three potential replacements that United are targeting should they decide to make a change in the dugout, with Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler all under consideration.

Nagelsmann, the former Bayern Munich and Germany boss, has an internal ally which could hand him an advantage in the race to replace Carrick.

That is Christopher Vivell, United’s director of recruitment, who the German worked with at RB Leipzig.

However, a spanner could be thrown in the works, with German outlet Bild claiming that Bayern Munich are interested in appointing Vivell.

It comes after the Bundesliga champions terminated their head of scouting Nils Schmadtke’s contract three days ago, and they have identified Vivell as an ideal replacement.

Should Vivell, who also worked for a short period at Chelsea, move back to Germany, that could come as a serious blow to Nagelsmann’s chances of landing the job at Old Trafford.