Manchester United's season plunged to new depths on Wednesday night when they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley, who had not won at Old Trafford since 1962.
The supporters were vociferous in their condemnation for the Glazers and Ed Woodward, while the future of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also come under the spotlight once again.
United have now lost more Premier League games than they have won since the Norwegian was appointed on a permanent basis and find themselves 11 points worse off this season than they were at the same stage last term.
An eighth league defeat of the campaign leaves the Red Devils six points adrift of the Champions League places, and their current plight has only been exacerbated by the success of their two biggest rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years.
Reports suggest that United have no intention of sacking Solskjaer even if the club miss out on European football next season, instead deciding to give their former striker time to rebuild his squad.
However, with pressure growing week after week his future looks increasingly uncertain, and with that in mind Sports Mole assesses five men who could be in line to replace Solskjaer.
Mauricio Pochettino
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The overwhelming favourite, both with bookmakers and supporters, Mauricio Pochettino looks like an ideal fit for United in their current state.
The Argentine established himself as one of the most highly-regarded managers in world football during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, joining the club after they had finished sixth in the table and leaving them as Champions League runners-up. Pochettino's track record of improving teams - and individual players - is exactly what United need right now, with some big names underperforming and some promising youngsters needing guidance.
Pochettino played a major role in sculpting the careers of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and plenty of others during his time in North London, while his playing career helped him to turn the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen into one of the best centre-back partnerships in the league - something which would appeal to United following their world-record outlay on Harry Maguire.
The main criticism of Pochettino is his lack of major silverware as a manager, with his time at Tottenham ultimately being a case of near misses having finished as runners-up in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup. However, that was with a club that have not won anything other than the League Cup since 1991, while United have won a whopping 40 trophies during that time.
An empty trophy cabinet has also not prevented United from appointing David Moyes and Solskjaer since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, and it should not be forgotten that Pochettino led Spurs to four consecutive top-four finishes during his final four full seasons at the club; they had finished in the top four just twice in the previous 25 years prior to that.
Whether they like it or not, United are now a team that must focus on getting back into the Champions League rather than winning trophies, leaving Pochettino as a clear top choice to replace Solskjaer.
Massimiliano Allegri
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If it is a serial winner United are after, however, then Massimiliano Allegri is perhaps the best on the market right now.
The 52-year-old picked up his first Serie A title as AC Milan boss in 2010-11 before adding five more in a row during his time at the all-conquering Juventus, supplementing that with consistent Coppa Italia success to make it four consecutive league and cup doubles and nine major domestic trophies from a possible 10.
Allegri also led Juventus to two Champions League finals during his time in Turin and, having been out of work since leaving the Old Lady last year, he could be ready for a return to a big club.
Laurent Blanc
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Should United once again opt for a former player then Laurent Blanc appears to be next in line, although the Frenchman has not managed any team since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.
Now 54, the World Cup winner spent two seasons at Old Trafford during the twilight of his playing career, making 75 appearances across all competitions and helping the club to a Premier League title in that time. Blanc's trophy-laden career continued after he hung up his boots, guiding Bordeaux to the Ligue 1 title in 2008-09 before lifting that trophy three more times with PSG.
Indeed, Blanc won eight of the nine major domestic trophies available to him at the Parc des Princes, ending his time in the French capital with a win percentage of almost 73%, but it was ultimately his lack of success on the European stage which cost him his job.
Brendan Rodgers
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Brendan Rodgers has re-established himself as a coveted manager since his move back to England, leading Leicester City into the Champions League places and 14 points above Solskjaer's United at the time of writing - despite United spending £80m to sign Maguire from the Foxes last summer.
The 46-year-old's Liverpool links may prove to be a stumbling block, but his credentials are becoming increasingly difficult to argue against. A memorable Premier League title near-miss with the Reds in 2013-14 was followed by a phenomenally successful spell in Scotland with Celtic, where he won every domestic trophy available to him and was on course for an unprecedented treble-treble before joining Leicester.
Rodgers's past work with young English players - from Raheem Sterling at Liverpool to rumoured United target James Maddison at Leicester - would no doubt be of interest to United, while his style of football is what the Red Devils' fans want to see. The question is whether he would want to move to Old Trafford, having already turned down Arsenal and signed a new long-term contract at the King Power Stadium this season.
Chris Wilder
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Other names such as Ralf Rangnick, Julian Nagelsmann, Erik ten Hag and Gareth Southgate have been mentioned, but one bookmaker has Sheffield United's Chris Wilder as a possible successor - and why not?
The 52-year-old may not be a fashionable choice, but his credentials are arguably more impressive than those of Solskjaer before he got the job, while his newly-promoted Sheffield United side are currently only one point behind Manchester United despite having a fraction of the budget.
Wilder has worked his way up from his first job at Alfreton Town in the Northern Counties (East) League Premier Division right up to the top half of the Premier League, and his work has been so impressive that even Pep Guardiola recently admitted that he learns from watching the Blades.
A second promotion in the space of three years last season saw Wilder beat Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to the LMA Manager of the Year award, which incidentally is a prize no United manager has won since Ferguson's retirement.
Barney Corkhill
