Man Utd facing prospect of huge financial penalty as INEOS decision over Michael Carrick looms

Manchester United could lose out on millions of pounds at the end of this season on top of the projected amount - and it underlines the task that Michael Carrick or his potential successor have on their hands at Old Trafford.

United executives, including director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, will meet co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday to decide on Carrick's future.

United have won one of their last 10 matches in all competitions under Carrick, who is reportedly 'expected' to be sacked by the club. Mauricio Pochettino is now the leading candidate to replace the 46-year-old, though compensation would be needed to buy him out of his contract with the United States.

READ MORE: Michael Carrick handed possible Man Utd reprieve as details of crunch meeting emerge

Man Utd facing additional penalty that could cause more issues

One of the pressing reasons behind a decision being made over Carrick's future now is because United currently sit in 18th place in the Premier League table, with eight points from their opening 10 matches.

It is still relatively early days in the season, but they are already 10 points behind what is, right now, a guaranteed Champions League qualification spot in fourth place - though that would become fifth should English teams secure enough UEFA co-efficient points for their performances in European club competitions.

The significant cost to United of missing out on the Champions League is already well-established - BBC Sport calculated last year that they would net at least £70 million from the competition even if they lost every match.

But if that wasn't enough, a new blow has now emerged in the form of German kit manufacturers Adidas.

The two parties signed a 10-year sponsorship agreement in 2015, which was extended by a further 10 years in 2023. The relationship goes back all the way to 1980, though United and Adidas parted ways in 1992 - coincidentally, United won their first top division title in 26 years in the following season.

Manchester United's kits have been sponsored by Adidas for the past 11 consecutive years (Image: Getty)

Now, the Daily Mail claim that United's current agreement with Adidas contains a number of financial penalties that can be activated based on their performance, or lack of, on the pitch.

One penalty, it is reported, will deduct £10 million from the initial value of the agreement if United fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. It is claimed that, in the extremely unlikely event that United are relegated, Adidas can halve their £90 million per year payments, and can cancel it altogether with a year's notice - which would cost the club an astronomical sum.

United executives are said to still believe the club can qualify for the Champions League, as per BBC Sport, In the meantime, Ratcliffe may be preparing to spend another eight-figure sum - this time in dollars - to break Pochettino's contract with the USMNT. It is said that the Argentine's compensation fee stands at $10 million (£7.5m); United could have got him for free before he signed a new four-year extension in August.

Mauricio Pochettino's stance on replacing Michael Carrick at Man Utd

As things stand, it is Pochettino who looks the most likely candidate to replace Carrick if a change is made, with his name having emerged relatively out of nowhere in recent days.

As mentioned above, the Argentine signed a four-year contract with the USMNT following the 2026 World Cup, which would have taken him up to the next World Cup in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

According to talkSPORT, though, he would be interested in holding talks with United over any vacancy should the club approach him.

READ NEXT: Mauricio Pochettino's team talk when USMNT were 3-0 up shows he has mentality to be Man Utd manager

United would have to pay extra to secure the services of Pochettino's long-time assistant, Jesus Perez, and his backroom staff if the Tottenham boss does choose to move to Old Trafford to take charge of what would be his fourth club in the Premier League after previously managing Chelsea and Southampton.