Manchester United were mauled by Hull City on Saturday and Michael Carrick must now make a bold call.
Hull City v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Marcus Rashford should start for Man United vs Ipswich Town (Image: Getty)
It was expected to be somewhat of a turbulent season. Especially with a revamped midfield, a new permanent manager and Champions League football returning to the schedule. Manchester United will be hoping they have already experienced their lowest point of 2026/27. The revelation that trains from Hull to Manchester had been cancelled only added insult to injury for the travelling contingent of United supporters.
There have been darker moments for United in recent years, but Saturday represented as significant a wake-up call as any. Confidence has been gradually gathering at Old Trafford since Carrick's return to the touchline. A cautious strategy in the transfer market has risked dampening rising hopes, but the dealings United have completed have been sound and a burst of activity is feasible in the window's closing week. It would require a truly exceptional signing for supporters to move past Saturday's thrashing.
United were both tactically outwitted and physically overpowered on Humberside. Hull's set-piece preparation proved highly effective and in Oli McBurnie they possessed the attacking spearhead that United were missing.
When Bruno Fernandes is attempting speculative efforts from 30 yards out and Harry Maguire is launching forward runs to inject some intensity into your performance, you recognise something has gone wrong.
Despite Michael Carrick's eagerness to highlight "a lot of good things" from his side, it was hard to identify many genuine bright spots. Yet Marcus Rashford's return to competitive action for the Red Devils did provide a faint ray of hope.
The former Barcelona loanee was brought on at the break following a sluggish first-half display from United. Carrick defended his decision to replace Patrick Dorgu with Rashford, explaining he was "trying to do something a little bit different", though Rashford undeniably injected greater urgency into United's play.
Not only did Rashford appear considerably more dangerous than Dorgu had, but his combination play with Luke Shaw also represented United's finest opportunity of clawing their way back into the match.
The pair forged an outstanding partnership down the left before Rashford was dropped from the squad by Ruben Amorim, and you'd be forgiven for thinking they hadn't been apart for 20 months given Saturday's performance.
Naturally, Rashford can offer a different kind of threat to United's attack, but his capacity to unlock the best from Shaw going forward should not be underestimated.
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Hull City v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Marcus Rashford looks set to stay at Manchester United (Image: Getty)
There remains a possibility that Rashford could be plying his trade away from Old Trafford before the transfer window shuts, yet one senses nobody in the dressing room, Carrick included, wishes to see that happen. Wearing the iconic No.9 shirt, Rashford appears primed to stamp his authority back at his beloved hometown club.
A defining theme of Carrick's tenure has been 'consistency' - whether in United's displays on the pitch or in his handling of media duties - and consistency is precisely what Rashford has so disappointingly lacked throughout his career.
Yet under Carrick there is genuine optimism that he can rediscover his finest form and deliver the performances that everyone at the club knows he is capable of.
The showdown with Ipswich this weekend poses a stern examination for Carrick in only United's second fixture of the season. Nobody is hitting the panic button just yet, but Carrick is more aware than most that you are never more than a couple of results away from a crisis at United.
A defeat on Sunday would make for grim viewing when so many predicted United would claim maximum points from their opening two matches.
Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez will be pushing for a starting berth with another week of training behind them following their belated return after the World Cup. Rashford has now accumulated more minutes since his comeback than both Mainoo and Martinez.
The time has come for Carrick to hand him a place in the starting line-up.
United require a swift and positive start on Sunday in front of their home supporters following the dismal loss at Hull. If the reception Rashford garnered from the travelling fans on Saturday is any indication, he will be greeted back at Old Trafford with tremendous warmth against Ipswich.
And that could prove the spark United so desperately need in a match they simply cannot afford to lose.
Thirteen months on from his move to Barcelona and with his No.10 jersey passed on to Matheus Cunha, the only prospect of Rashford ever appearing at Old Trafford again seemed to be in the strip of an opposing side.
On Sunday, he will walk back out at Old Trafford in United's red, wearing the No. 9, and he could well find himself in the starting line-up. Now that's quite the rollercoaster.