Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds shone a light on four areas of the pitch that are causing concern.
Michael Carrick’s side returned with a flat performance, losing 2-1 to Leeds at Old Trafford. The Red Devils did end the game with a flourish, but it was not enough.
The defeat shone a light on four areas of concern that we should be worried about heading into the team’s upcoming games…
Chelsea (A), Brentford (H), and Liverpool (H) are our next three fixtures – how damaging could this loss be?
United remain in third despite the defeat, there's little room for error
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Centre-backs
Manchester United will change up the defence again for the upcoming game with Chelsea, due to another suspension.
Harry Maguire is set to return, while Lisandro Martinez is now facing a three-game ban.
Maguire and Martinez were Carrick’s first choice pairing when he arrived, but he has not been able to pick them together since the start of February.
Leny Yoro has constantly been preferred ahead of Ayden Heaven, so he will likely start alongside Maguire. The problem is the young Frenchman has been inconsistent, and needs to be stronger.
Leny Yoro battles for the ball.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Manchester United team huddle at Old Trafford.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Full-backs
Michael Carrick’s decision to switch to a flat back-four was welcomed by just about everybody after the Ruben Amorim era.
But doesn’t he need more productive full-backs?
Luke Shaw has one assist all season, that came back in October.
Diogo Dalot has three assists, but only one under Michael Carrick, back in the 2-0 win over Tottenham two months ago.
Noussair Mazraoui has no assists.
United need more productivity from these areas, and the low season totals suggest it is not just down to manager tactics, it’s down to the players.
Was Manuel Ugarte that bad against Leeds, or is he just an easy scapegoat for bigger problems?
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Midfield
Central midfield has been a concern all season, and the situation is even more pronounced when Kobbie Mainoo is out with injury.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte both struggled against Leeds, and while the Brazilian stepped up with a goal, it was not one of his better games.
Next season Casemiro will be gone, and the midfield needs major reinvestment.
United have to get this right in the summer, but it is just as important that the team are able to get over the line in the Champions League spots.
Mainoo needs to return as soon as possible.
Why have the goals dried up? Who is going to go on a scoring run?
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Attack
What’s going on with Manchester United’s attack?
Something has not looked right lately. Perhaps it’s the lack of regular games. Perhaps we just have four players all dipping in form at once.
Amad has not scored a goal since 2025, and Bryan Mbeumo has not netted since early February.
Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko’s goals have dried up too.
In the last five matches, the quartet have contributed a total of three goals.
United have become reliant on Casemiro as a source of goals lately, and that’s not a long-term solution.
If the Red Devils are going to beat Brentford, Chelsea and Liverpool, then at least one of the attacking quartet needs to step up.
The difficulty for Carrick is trying to find the right combination. Nothing he has tried has worked lately.
What concerns you most ahead of Manchester United’s fixture with Chelsea?
Michael Carrick in suit for Manchester United
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
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