Manchester United have decided Michael Carrick will remain in charge for the trip to Chelsea despite pressure after defeats to Como and Bournemouth. The club have given Carrick and his players the chance to turn the present situation around, with no timescale put on that decision.
Chelsea trip confirmed
According to Manchester United sources, Carrick will be in charge at Chelsea. Carrick arrived at Carrington at 07:30 GMT on Tuesday, which was a sign he would take training as normal.
Four hours later, United sources confirmed Carrick would be in charge at Stamford Bridge. Carrick is due to speak to the media on Thursday.
What happened at Carrington
On Monday morning, when it was widely anticipated an announcement terminating Carrick's tenure would be made, a senior figure at United said calmness and a clear head would be needed to navigate the turbulence around Old Trafford. There was no decision on Monday either.
The United players who started against Bournemouth were given the day off on Monday. Fernandes and Carrick were both at Carrington on Monday, with Fernandes having pre-planned treatment while Carrick watched a closed doors Under-21s game.
Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox were also at the training ground, discussing what the immediate future should look like. Sources say it is inconceivable minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family would not have been part of those discussions.
On Tuesday, Carrick, Fernandes and several other players signed autographs and posed for photographs with a group of fans invited to the training ground.
Results and schedule
Manchester United are 16th in the table. They were beaten 4-1 at Como on 21 October and lost to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday.
BBC Sport was led to believe late on Sunday that a final decision to sack Carrick had not been made, and the judgement would stretch into Monday. United then face a crucial Champions League match against Roma three days after the Chelsea game, followed by a Premier League encounter with Aston Villa before a two-week international break.
Voices around the squad
Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick's tactics and the inability of his coaches to spot what was going wrong. Fernandes played no part against Bournemouth and was dropped to the bench.
A week earlier, Lisandro Martinez said he had expected more investment in the squad and "more from our technical director".
Asked in his post-match news conference if he expected to be in charge for Saturday's trip to Chelsea, Carrick said: "I'm not expecting anything in particular, to be honest. I'm carrying on as normal."
One player said: "The feeling is that we all want to put it right. Players, staff, everyone."
Senior figures at the club feel United's players are underperforming badly and should shoulder some of the blame. Senior figures at the club think the squad are capable of qualifying for the Champions League.
One former senior United official said: "Ordinarily, Michael would have gone. The last two performances were unacceptable and team discipline is broken. Not doing it is fascinating and risky."