Ed Woodward could stay at Manchester United longer than expected to oversee appointment of new manager following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking

Ed Woodward could perform a U-turn over his Manchester United exit, with the chief reportedly considering staying at the club to oversee their search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's replacement as manager.

The executive vice-chairman was due to step down at the end of the year, but now looks set to stay on.

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report the 49-year-old has decided to stay put and help the club appoint a new manager following Solskjaer's sacking this weekend.

Woodward announced his decision to step down from his role earlier this year, following his involvement in the failed attempts at launching a new European Super League.

United revealed back in April that Woodward had plans to retire at the end of 2021, with the chief admitting at the time that 'it would be difficult to walk away'.

There has been no further comment on his future since and, although it looked certain he would be leaving Old Trafford this winter, it now appears he is going nowhere.

It is claimed Woodward was heavily involved in the club's decision to axe Solskjaer from the United hotseat, and will stick around to oversee their search for an interim boss and then a long-term appointment to replace the Norwegian.

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Woodward and co. have reportedly drawn up a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Solskjaer.

Mauricio Pochettino is the leading the race to become the next Man United boss, and talkSPORT understands club legend Sir Alex Ferguson is personally leading the charge to bring the former Spurs boss to Old Trafford.

Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers, Ajax's Erik Ten Hag and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane have all also been linked to the job.

Aside from Pochettino, who is 'desperate' to come to Man United according to talkSPORT sources, the remaining candidates might only be interested in the role at the end of the season.

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Should the PSG boss not return to England now, then plans to put in an interim manager until next summer are still in place.

Michael Carrick has taken immediate charge of the first team and will hope to get off to the perfect start when his side take on Villarreal in the Champions League - live on talkSPORT 2.

Should the former midfielder impress, he could - like fellow interims coaches Ryan Giggs and Solskjaer before him - be given the role until the end of the season.