If Manchester United qualify for the Champions League, it will be very hard for the club's bosses to look beyond Michael Carrick for the role of head coach beyond the summer.
United have an 85.57 per cent chance of making Champions League football this season, according to the latest Opta predictions.
The United hierarchy remains tight lipped about their plans for next season, but Sky Sports News understands they have still not made contact with any other potential candidates.
The overriding feeling is there is no need to rush into a decision when the team is performing so well. Carrick's record of 23 points from 30 available - and just one defeat in 10 matches - has his team top of the Premier League form table, and led to calls for him to be appointed head coach now.
But the United powerbrokers will continue to ignore those calls, until such time as they are convinced Carrick is the right man to take the club forward long-term.
The fact that Thomas Tuchel has recently signed a contract extension with England and Carlo Ancelotti has said he plans to do the same with Brazil, has further strengthened Carrick's claim to remain in charge at Old Trafford.
If United decide to appoint someone else, they are determined that it will be a manager of stature and experience, who can cope with the magnitude of the job and the media scrutiny, and so Ancelotti and Tuchel would likely have been high up on the list of candidates the club would want to speak to.
History has also taught the United kingmakers to be cautious. Almost exactly seven years ago, Carrick was part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's coaching staff when the Norwegian secured eight successive victories at the start of his interim term.
In March 2019, Solskjaer was given the job on a permanent basis and signed a three-year contract, before going on to win just one of his next seven matches, and finishing sixth in the Premier League.
He did, however, achieve consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League in the following two seasons and also took Manchester United to a Europa League final.
As things stand, director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada are keeping their powder dry and their options open, as they continue to do their due diligence on all the potential candidates.
