**Man United**would have earned no real plaudits for passing through the test of a trip to a League Two opponent. But their elimination from the Carabao Cup has drawn the derision of the footballing world as Grimsby Town triumphed 12-11 in a shootout of the second round of the tournament.
Here are four things we learned from another dark day for the fallen giants of English football.
Goalkeeping crisis craters
A crisis already known within the fanbase took a turn for the worse and was decisive in this defeat.
Altay Bayindir filled in for Andre Onana on the opening matchday after a hamstring injury to the first choice goalkeeper. He had already indicated his capacity for errors with the failure to control his penalty area against Tottenham Hotspur in a quarter-final exit of the **Carabao Cup**last December.
The Turk had the backing of the boss, having helped earn a victory against **Arsenal**with ten men in the **FA Cup**earlier this year. But he conspired to create calamity at the back, failing to fend off William Saliba as Riccardo Calafiori crashed the back post for the only goal of the game.
Onana was back between the posts after the 1-1 draw against Fulham. However, he does not inspire complete confidence: the Cameroonian has made many basic blunders in his two years in England.
He demonstrated why faith has fallen in his abilities. Charles Vernam opened the scoring with a near post finish that crept under the arm of Onana. Too frequently, he has shown questionable mechanics between the posts that do not generate the power to get low and save 'simple' shots for the Red Devils.
After half an hour, **Man United**were 2-0 down. Once more, Onana was culpable, leaping out to claim a cross he was nowhere near. Tyrell Warren walked the ball into the net for the easiest of finishes.
So far, not a single penny has gone on a position of need for many fans this summer. After the embarrassments of the last fortnight, **Man United**urgently need an addition to take the reins.
The spending spree is incomplete
Everyone would have different answers about the best way to spend £200 million on the **Man United**squad in the window this summer. But in whatever way that money was allocated, the expectation would be that the club climbs up the table significantly and looks much better on the eye as a unit.
The approach was clear. Two thirds of that outlay has gone on Premier League proven forwards with the individuality, speed, and goals to grab a team by the horns and pull them towards success. The remainder went on a prospect with potential to become one of the best strikers in European football.
All three incomings are forwards, and to varying degrees, their impact has been felt. But the question will be whether doubling down on the offence was the best way to improve this floundering group.
It was a bad night to argue that this was the right call. Mbeumo scored in open play but missed the decisive penalty after Matheus Cunha cocked up the chance to wrap up the tie from twelve yards.
Benjamin Sesko showed signs that he is more polished in parts of his game than Rasmus Højlund. Yet, when the game was there to win at the death in the second half, he blazed the ball over the bar.
Such situations can occur, but with black holes of positions still littered across the starting eleven, **Man United**have taken the risk that the frontline can make up for the flaws remaining in the squad.
The only way to make the situation worse is for the club to cut ties with talent already in their ranks.
Mainoo made to suffer
Over the last few days, there has been an outcry from Man United fans about the possibility that Kobbie Mainoo might be leaving the club. This clash confirmed that this response is justified.
The midfielder is locked in talks with the board about an extension to his deal, which runs in 2027. He is in a weaker negotiating position than a year ago, having come off the back of a winning goal in the **FA Cup**final and a starring role in the revitalisation of the **England**midfield at EURO 2024.
His second season in the first team squad saw more struggles, but he is far from the primary fault for the problems in the Man United midfield. **Manuel Ugarte**is a player whose limitations are well known, with his lack of technical quality on the ball and lack of composure to screen a defence.
Amorim argued that Mainoo must fight for a place with **Bruno Fernandes**in the starting eleven, while **Casemiro**is the competition for Ugarte. But when push came to shove for the start of the second half, the club captain and the academy darling were together as the two pieces of the pivot.
Not everything that the 20-year-old tried would work on the nigh. But he has the bravery, invention, and strength in small spaces to initiate things for his team. Though his assist for **Bryan Mbeumo**looked quite simple, it was fitting that he walked away from this loss with something to his name.
Politics is at play, and Man United must not allow it to let them give up one of their brightest talents.
This is a new low for Man United
The Red Devils are only at this stage of the tournament because they failed to qualify for Europe. Last term, they suffered their worst ever Premier League finish in 15th position, picked up sixteen fewer points than they had ever done before in their history, and had the fifth lowest tally of goals scored.
Now, they have bowed out of the **Carabao Cup**to an outfit that are fighting for promotion from League Two. All credit ought to go to the Mariners, but there is no getting around the humiliation of 2025 for a sporting institution that proudly sat at the top of the English game for several decades.
Amorim has walked into a club still hurting from the impact of the marquee signings for Erik ten Hag and searching for identity after Sir Alex Ferguson. But at some point, the buck will stop with him, and his accountability for the way that new depths of failure are happening at the moment.
In some senses, this exit is worse because of what it took for Grimsby to get over the line. Amorim threw the kitchen sink at trying to tun around the score, ending the contest with only three defenders on the field and eleven players that could ordinarily feature for the team in the Premier League.
He knew what was at stake with an early exit. Now that has happened, where does he go from here?