Man Utd have struggled for width in recent weeks, showing the importance of signing a left winger in the summer window.
A left winger will be on the agenda.
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After the Newcastle defeat, Michael Carrick was asked whether Manchester United had a problem with width. "No, we had Cunha playing on the touchline today, he played wide, so we had width," he said.
"I'm not going to dissect the performance. There were some decent bits, but lots of bits we need to get better at. The boys have been good, we've played well and had a lot of results. We've lost the game. The boys, myself, the players and staff, we're all hoping for a little more but it didn't happen for us."
It was the second time Carrick had been asked about United's width in the space of four days. Against Crystal Palace, he was spotted passing on tactical instructions to Matheus Cunha.
Carrick was asked about his exchange with Cunha during his press conference after the Palace win and what he told the Brazilian:. "Just getting the balance about when to play inside a little, when to play outside a little, and when to make the runs in behind," was the answer.
"Again, Matheus thinks a lot about the game, he's really good in terms of wanting to know certain things and it was just one of them, probably because he was the closest one to me so we ended up having the conversation.
"He's conscious of where the space is and how to attack the space. Sometimes it's wide, particularly the second half, at times he looked dangerous wide going one-against-one, which is something he can do. And then he's inside the pitch a little bit more to win the penalty. So nothing major, just bits of information here and there."
Carrick did not acknowledge the lack of width during the St. James' Park debrief, but he did confirm in the build-up to the game that signing a left winger was a possibility at the end of the season.
The Manchester Evening News reported at the beginning of February that United were planning to strengthen their midfield and left wing. Alejandro Garnacho joined Chelsea last summer, Jadon Sancho will leave upon the expiry of his contract, and Marcus Rashford is set to join Barcelona.
United were interested in Antoine Semenyo before his £62.5million move to Manchester City. The Reds were prepared to deviate from their plan not to make a mid-season signing because Semenyo was a long-term target and his release clause made him attainable.
The lack of width was a problem again.
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Semenyo predominantly played as a left winger for Bournemouth this season before his transfer to City, but he was seen as adaptable, able to play as a No.10 in Ruben Amorim's system.
Amorim's formation required a specific type of player in each position, but United were conscious of avoiding the previous regime's mistake of signing players for a manager rather than for the club.
Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Cunha were seen as great additions for Amorim's system, however, they were signed because they all possessed the qualities to play in any other system.
The theory was that if Amorim were sacked, he would leave behind a squad that could be easily moulded by another manager. In the past, United had prioritised backing managers, which meant the squad needed to be overhauled every time there was a managerial change. Millions of pounds were wasted.
Amorim viewed Mbeumo and Cunha as perfect for the No.10 roles in his system. The board agreed with that assessment but knew they could play as wingers in a back four formation. That theory has been tested over the last few weeks though due to United's obvious lack of width.
That has been most concerning on Cunha's side, as he prefers to come inside and get involved with play. Carrick was in constant dialogue with him against Palace.
Cunha looked dangerous whenever he attacked Kieran Trippier down the flank in midweek, but those moments were few and far between. Trippier has entered the winter of his career, and United could have perhaps exploited the former England international with a traditional-thinking winger.
Carrick believes Cunha can do that job, and he certainly possesses the talent to do so, but he clearly likes to drift inside. The bottom line is that Cunha is not a natural left winger, and a new player in that area is needed.
Patrick Dorgu looked like a new player when he played on the left wing, but the Dane only performed to that level for a handful of games before picking up a hamstring injury against Arsenal. United must act this summer.