Michael Carrick returns to Carrington as bosses decide his Man United future: Glum manager pictured arriving at training base while Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers hold do-or-die summit

Michael Carrick has arrived at Manchester United’s training ground amid increasing uncertainty over his future as head coach.

Carrick was pictured driving into Carrington on Monday afternoon following a day of crisis talks among club owners and senior executives over whether to sack him.

United’s fringe first-team players and Under-21s including Tyler Fletcher, Harry Amass and Shea Lacey have a behind-closed-doors friendly against Hull City which kicked off at 2pm, but it is unclear if that is the reason for Carrick’s presence on his day off.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox drove into the training ground early on Monday morning. The majority of the players have a rest day after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford, although Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte came into Carrington for treatment.

Carrick dropped Fernandes against Bournemouth and left him on the bench following the captain’s criticism of the team’s tactics in last week’s Champions League defeat to Como.

Berrada and Wilcox are understood to have held conference calls with co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer, and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to decide Carrick’s fate and identify a successor if the 45-year-old is axed.

Michael Carrick arrived at Carrington to watch the under-21s - with his bosses deciding his fate

Omar Berrada (left) and Jason Wilcox (right) are seen arriving at Carrington ahead of crisis talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers

Bruno Fernandes came into Carrington despite the players being on a day off

Manchester United's head honchos are locked in talks about Carrick's future

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, both currently out of work and available to take over immediately, are the leading candidates after bookmakers stopped taking bets on Carrick being sacked.

The former United midfielder has 18 months left on the two-year contract he signed in May after guiding the club back into the Champions League.

After playing away in Spain and Italy over the last fortnight, United have a free week after going out of the Carabao Cup to Brighton and aren’t in action again until they meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime.

Carrick’s job is hanging by a thread after United suffered a sixth defeat in 12 games this season against Bournemouth. Afterwards the visibly emotional head coach appeared to say farewell to the fans, although he later insisted that was not the case.

He also revealed that he had not spoken to Berrada or Wilcox over his future, although it’s understood that discussions have been taking place over the growing crisis among the United hierarchy before Sunday’s defeat.

‘Just briefly they came down like they always do after a game, but nothing out of the ordinary,’ said Carrick.

‘I totally understand the situation. I'm not expecting anything either way. I’m carrying on as normal. I love this place. I'll always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club and I won’t change that now, whatever decision is made.

‘It's a tough situation, there's no hiding from it. What it looks like and what's next I really don't know. I love what I do and I feel the responsibility. We'll have to wait and see.

‘Of course, I take responsibility. I respect the position that I'm in, and the responsibility is mine. What else can I say really right now?

‘I've tried to do everything I can to not be in this position, of course I have. For a number of reasons, we've not been able to stop that happening to the position we're in right now.

‘I've been at the club a long time. It hurts an awful to see us going through this at this moment in time. The situation is where we are and we haven't had results or performances that have been good enough.

‘I'm feeling it for my players, they're going through a tough spell. There's a lot of emotion in the changing room right now, there's a lot of the boys quite hurt, to be fair.

‘It's not like they don't care or they want to be in this position. The ones I've spoken to, it’s affecting them a lot.’