Uncertainty still surrounds Michael Carrick's future at Manchester United. His last-gasp rescue act against Aston Villa changed nothing, with the club's officials yet to settle their final position on whether he stays in charge of the technical staff.
United have shown a different kind of fight in their past two matches. They came from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League, then drew 4-4 with Aston Villa in the Premier League after trailing twice, at 2-0 and 4-2.
According to journalist Alex Crook, the mood at the Carrington training centre was calm this morning. Carrick is likely to keep his post during the current phase, but his long-term future remains uncertain.
Crook explained that United's management had planned to assess the manager's situation over the international break, having earlier weighed up a technical change after the draw with Bournemouth.
One option on the table, the talkSPORT journalist pointed out, is to strengthen Carrick's technical staff with new members.
He said this plan nearly went ahead earlier, after the club lined up England's Aaron Danks, the Bayern Munich assistant coach, among its targets last summer. A mid-season departure now looks highly unlikely, though, especially after Danks took on greater responsibilities and delivered while Vincent Kompany was ill.
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Pochettino: an expensive alternative
On the hunt for possible alternatives, Crook revealed that Mauricio Pochettino would relish the chance to lead Manchester United. The Argentine is currently in charge of the United States national team.
That leaves him among the names linked with the job should the Red Devils' management decide to part ways with Carrick. His Premier League pedigree runs deep, built on a historic spell at Tottenham and then Chelsea, according to Yahoo Sport.
Pochettino steered Tottenham to a top-four finish four years running despite a modest transfer budget. Spurs also reached the 2018-19 Champions League final under him.
At Chelsea, the Argentine finished sixth in the league, reached the League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final, then left by mutual consent after just one season.
A contract ties the former Paris Saint-Germain coach to the United States national team. United would have to stump up a hefty compensation fee to prise him away.