Manchester United’s problems are piling up with there understood to be growing tensions between director of football Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

Speaking to a handful of key figures close to the dressing room, each of whom are in regular dialogue with the United hierarchy, Daily Mail Sport has learned that along with disagreements on the pitch between players and manager, there is also growing discontent in the boardroom.

Wilcox and Vivell are said to have differing opinions on who should succeed Michael Carrick, should the decision be made to move on to a third manager in 2026.

There is some sympathy in the United hierarchy for the position Carrick is in, with nine senior absentees for the Como trip. They too are having to face up to the reality that not enough was done in the summer to strengthen this team to play multiple games a week.

Results - which includes just two wins from 11 - are getting worse at an alarming rate and all is not well behind the scenes.

Carrick will take charge of United for Sunday’s home match against Bournemouth but potential successors have already been sounded out privately.

Vivell is understood to be pushing hard for Julian Nagelsmann to be the leading candidate, with the 39-year-old out of work following a disastrous World Cup in charge of Germany.

Chelsea assessed Nagelsmann as a potential manager when Vivell was technical director in west London and his admiration remains.

But sources have suggested that Wilcox, who is Vivell’s boss in the chain of command, prefers a Premier League proven manager, with Eddie Howe, Fabian Hurzeler, Unai Emery and Antonio Conte, who have all come up on a shortlist, a tick in that category.

Hurzeler does not have a release clause in his Brighton contract and so would require enormous compensation. There is well-placed scepticism as to whether any move would even be remotely possible, regardless of how well liked he is inside Old Trafford.

Carrick will face the music when he addresses the media on Friday in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game against Bournemouth in which he’ll have to address doubts creeping in from players, tensions upstairs among execs and whether he will be able to keep hold of his job.

United are refusing to press the panic button and sack Carrick who is now expected to stay in charge for Sunday’s game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford at least. United then face Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa before a two-week international break next month.

The fact that Carrick will speak to the media again, less than two days after he tried to explain his team’s shocking performance in the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, is the strongest signal yet that United are aiming to stand by Carrick for the time being.

In-fighting at United is rife right now, not least after captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned the tactics of his manager after the abject 4-1 defeat at the hands of Como.

‘It needs to start at the top,’ one source close to a first team player said.

‘Recruitment guys, manager, the lot need to go.’

Another source said: ‘This needs a strong board to make hard decisions fast. They’ve already wasted too much time.’

United have stressed that Vivell and Wilcox maintain a healthy relationship even in such trying circumstances, but many close to the dressing room are telling a different story.

‘At this club, there’s too much focus on what’s been done in the past, but we’re not those people anymore,’ Fernandes told Sky Italia after the Como defeat.

‘The club and the players need to understand that. Unfortunately for us - especially when it comes to the players - those who join expect to win trophies, win games, and reach the highest level, but unfortunately that's been very difficult at this club in recent years. That's the situation.’