Man Utd news: Will Michael Carrick replace Jose Mourinho? (Image: Getty)
The former midfielder is part of Mourinho's backroom staff at Manchester United, where he is learning his trade after retiring from the game over the summer.
Carrick has been touted as a potential temporary replacement for the Portuguese boss, should he lose his job in the coming months.
But the bookmakers believe the 37-year-old may be in line to replace Mourinho on a permanent basis.
A whopping 58 per cent of all bets on the next Manchester United boss market have been placed on Carrick in the last 24 hours, resulting in his price falling dramatically, according to Oddschecker.
The former Tottenham man has now been cut from 33/1 into as short as 12/1 for the role, with many fans and punters believing he is the coach who will replace Mourinho.
Elsewhere, Zinedine Zidane’s odds of being appointed are drifting.
The Frenchman remains the favourites for the job but has seen his price drift from 1/2 to 5/4 with a host of different betting firms.
Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers are all prominent in the market but are all unlikely to replace Mourinho should he leave Old Trafford.
Man Utd news: Michael Carrick is now among the favourites for the Old Trafford job (Image: Getty)
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “If Zidane is not the man to replace Mourinho, one can expect Carrick to take the reins at least on a caretaker basis 'til the end of the season.”
“If he manages 10 games then many bookies will have to pay out on the bets placed on the former pass master. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.”
Carrick has recently opened up about his struggles with depression after Manchester United's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in 2009.
"I just almost had enough of football," the United first-team coach told Sky Sports News.
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Man Utd news: Jose Mourinho is facing the pressure at Old Trafford (Image: Getty)
I wasn't enjoying playing for England, I didn't want to go away with England and I was having a hard time at United
Michael Carrick
"It sounds crazy for me to even say that, but at the time that's how I felt. It's a bit of a long story of that year, how the little things got worse and then I beat myself up for feeling that way because I've got everything I could hope for.
"I was playing at a great club, playing in the England squad, two happy kids, wife - it was as good as I could possibly hope for.
"I wasn't enjoying playing for England, I didn't want to go away with England and I was having a hard time at United - I was playing awfully. That drives it because everything I gave was to be as good as I possibly could for United.
Man Utd news: Michael Carrick retired in the summer (Image: Getty)
"When I was dropping off it affected me. I'd coped with it for three years and then it was like something just gave. I struggled for that year and then suddenly I came back, something clicked at the start of the season and I felt brand new again, even better than I had felt before.
"It was a strange year for me but it was tough. Hopefully it gives people the insight into playing at the top level.
"I can sit here and talk about it now, I'm not ashamed of it. I've got no clear reason why I got to that stage, it was just a lot of little things and in the end my football suffered for it and I suffered for it."