Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Manchester United slumped to another poor result on Sunday afternoon away at Fulham, piling more pressure on Michael Carrick and raising more questions around their summer transfer activity.
The Red Devils have won just one of their opening five Premier League matches and currently sit 12th in the table, after being tipped by many to be outside contenders in the title race at the start of the season. Lisandro Martinez's calamitous own goal gave Fulham the lead at Craven Cottage on Sunday, before Matheus Cunha's late deflected strike saved the north-west outfit's blushes, although this salvaged point certainly hasn't papered over the cracks.
Despite scoring the equaliser, Cunha's involvement as a centre-forward in this match has sparked debate and arguably reflects poorly on United's recruitment over the summer.
Opting not to invest in a striker, Carrick and his coaching staff are seemingly now paying the price.
Man Utd Lacked a Focal Point vs Fulham
Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Benjamin Sesko enjoyed an encouraging end to last season, finishing his debut campaign in English football with 12 goals across all competitions.
Many thought the Slovenian would kick on this term and play a more prominent role from the start of games. However, after five league matches this term, he's yet to start, with Carrick favouring either Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo down the middle.
The two forwards can do a job in this role in certain games, but Sunday's game at Fulham was not one of these occasions. The Red Devils needed a focal point to lead the line and spearhead their attack against Fulham's compact mid-block.
Cunha predictably didn't provide this, instead roaming into wide positions and deeper areas to pick up the ball. So often, United looked to build play centrally, but had nobody occupying Fulham's centre-backs to receive a pass.
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Man Utd's Attacking Stats vs Fulham
Possession
Shots
Shots on Target
Expected Goals
Touches in Opposition Box
Big chances
This completely stifled and blunted the north-west team's attack, as they ended the match having amassed just 1.6 expected goals from 29 shots.
Evidently, they had little box presence, so were forced to let fly from long-range and difficult angles. Had they had someone to aim for in the Fulham penalty area, perhaps they'd have been able to work better shooting opportunities, rather than being overly keen to shoot on sight.
Endrick Should Have Been a Priority Signing for Man Utd in the Summer
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It's clear at this point that Carrick doesn't trust Sesko to start games regularly, even if the former RB Leipzig is still an important part of his squad.
The English head coach is going out of his way to start other players out of position ahead of the 23-year-old, while Joshua Zirkzee is still miraculously getting minutes.
If United knew Carrick wasn't prepare to invest minutes in Sesko from the outset, they ought to have invested in a striker over the summer, so they would've had a first-choice option in this position, rather than relying on a makeshift number nine for the bulk of their games.
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Fees correct prior to summer 2026
Endrick, who has played just five La Liga minutes so far this season despite enjoying an outstanding loan spell at Lyon last term, was an obvious candidate to fill this void at Old Trafford. Aurelien Tchouameni was the man most frequently linked with the switch from the Spaniash capital to the north-west, but it should've been his teammate who made the move.
While not a target-man striker, the Brazilian's primary skillset is finding space in the box and getting shots off, primarily occupying central spaces to do so. As shown by the data against Fulham, this is what United are lacking currently.
They're able to get into the opposition's final third with relative ease, but when they get into these positions, they don't have a natural number nine to get on the end of chances from close range.
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Endrick's Ligue 1 Statistics 2025/26
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Shots per 90
Expected Goals per 90
Key Passes per 90
Expected Assists per 90
Endrick was linked with United over the summer, but the Premier League giants seemingly made no concerted effort to land the youngster. Given how little he's played under Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu so far, United surely could've convinced Los Blancos to loan him to Old Trafford for the duration of this season.
Had their hierarchy done this, they might've enjoyed a much more promising start to the new season. The option could still be on the cards in January, and if it is, United should take it.
Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans