Michael Carrick has emerged as the leading candidate to take charge of Manchester United on an interim basis, and the former midfielder could be confirmed in the role within hours.
The club is keen to give Carrick plenty of time to prepare for Saturday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, which explains the urgency behind the decision.
United have been searching for someone to replace Ruben Amorim since his departure earlier this month, with Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both holding face-to-face discussions with the club's hierarchy.
It turns out Carrick impressed chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox during talks last Thursday.
Michael Carrick, who played for United from 2006 to 2018, is set to become the club's interim manager
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Should Carrick get the job, it might just reignite an old feud involving his wife Lisa and club legend Roy Keane.
Back in 2014, during David Moyes' troubled spell in charge, United suffered a humiliating Champions League defeat to Greek side Olympiacos.
Keane, working as an ITV pundit at the time, didn't hold back in his assessment of the squad's performance that night.
The former United captain's comments clearly struck a nerve with Lisa Carrick, who took to Twitter to defend her husband in rather colourful terms.
Roy Keane once tore United apart while Michael Carrick was there
| ITVShe posted a message calling Keane out, accusing him of saying anything to provoke a reaction.
That was the polite version, with the original post including some strong expletives about the Irishman.
Lisa's tweet was swiftly deleted, but not before it had been spotted. She followed up with a more measured message: "Deleted my tweet... Emotions got the better of me... Just disappointed."
Keane's original criticism had been typically blunt. He'd described Carrick's post-match interview as "flat - just like the team's performance," adding that the midfielder should have shown more urgency even when speaking to the cameras.
The couple, who have been together since they were 15 and met at school in Tyneside, married in 2007. Lisa stood by her husband throughout his Old Trafford career until he retired in 2018.
Michael and Lisa Carrick are childhood sweethearts, being together since school
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As for who should take the permanent job in the summer, Keane has made his preference clear.
The Irishman loves what Eddie Howe has achieved and would be happy to see the Newcastle boss take over at Old Trafford.
Eddie Howe is Roy Keane's choice to take over at United
| REUTERSSpeaking on Sky Sports, Keane praised Howe's calmness, saying: "I think Man Utd sometimes need a bit of that."
He highlighted Howe's impressive CV, including guiding Newcastle into the Champions League and winning a cup, plus his extensive experience managing around 700 to 800 games across his career at both Newcastle and Bournemouth.