Manchester United: pressure builds on Carrick heading into international break despite late equaliser at Fulham
An exasperated looking Marcus Rashford looking on at Craven Cottage (Image Courtesy of Justin Setterfield via Getty Images)
It seems a long time ago since Michael Carrick’s Red Devils were, pound for pound, the ‘best team in the Premier League’ based on their second half of the season form.
The summer transfer business was met with mixed reviews, but there was a general consensus of positivity heading into the new campaign.
One could argue that it dissipated in less than 45 minutes, as United found themselves 2-0 down before the break in their season opener against newly promoted underdogs Hull City.
United would fall behind to another newly promoted side on Matchday Two against Ipswich Town, but an emphatic second-half performance papered over any cracks.
Since then, Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored the goal of his career in stoppage time to prevent back-to-back wins for Carrick’s side, before VAR controversy took centre stage in the Manchester derby.
After Erling Haaland’s match-winning goal was wrongly awarded, ProRef released an apology mere hours after the game.
This, however, did not negate the fact that United’s performance and failure to score with a player advantage for almost 75 minutes was a major point of concern.
On paper, a game against a winless Fulham side was a great opportunity to salvage some positivity heading into a prolonged international break.
Instead, it only amplified concerns about this team and has left fans more time to stew in the pent-up frustration that the start of this season has elicited.
United blunt in attack
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Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United reacts after equalizing in the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London, on September 20, 2026. (Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United reacts after equalizing in the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London, on September 20, 2026. (Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Matheus Cunha was credited with his first Premier League goal of the season, after his 89th-minute strike hit the back of the net to salvage a point for Manchester United.
However, the strike was dragged towards the near post, occupied by Bernd Leno, and were it not for the wicked deflection off David Affengruber, one would have to assume it would have been a routine save.
Had it not been for that deflection, United may have gone two games without a goal, one against a City side reduced to ten men after 20 minutes, the other against a Fulham side that sat bottom of the Premier League at the time.
Bruno Fernandes, a player to whom Manchester United are eternally indebted, looked off the pace in his execution.
Meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo was, at times, neither here nor there, whilst Marcus Rashford squandered two huge chances.
It was announced before the game that Benjamin Sesko would be absent with a minor injury, but even in weeks prior, Carrick has been reluctant to start him.
With Amad Diallo still to come back, and Shea Lacey scoring his first United goal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, the question remains as to which combination of players will spark United's front four back into life.
Lethargic or calculated?
In addition to the lack of attacking threat, there was also a noticeable lethargy about Manchester United's performance, igniting debate about the fitness of the group.
Carrick's side were outrun by 6.5km in yesterday's game, and many have cited this as evidence of a group that is unfit.
However, covering more distance is not always necessarily a positive, as the overall goal for most teams will be to make the ball do the work.
Despite this, it is intriguing that United were 'outworked' by such a distance in a game that lacked quality and was there for the taking, not to mention the implications heading into the break.
The United boss stated that he was 'happy with the effort' of the group in the post-match interviews, and has understandably swatted away any such insinuations of a lack of fitness.
Both Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford are now doubts for the upcoming four Nations League games for England, with injury niggles providing concern heading into the break.
Whether this has any relation to the distance covered metrics and overall fitness and mobility of the team is unclear, but the next three weeks are pivotal for the manager and his staff to get his players healthy and in the best shape possible, ready for a return in a monumental game.
Spurs clash could decide both managers' futures
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Harry Maguire of Manchester United shakes hands with Michael Carrick, manager of Manchester United, after the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on September 20, 2026. (Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Harry Maguire of Manchester United shakes hands with Michael Carrick, manager of Manchester United, after the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on September 20, 2026. (Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Fulham's point against United ensured that Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham Hotspur would head into the international break rock bottom.
Despite galvanising the team to safety at the end of last season, the Italian has seen his side get off to a winless start in their first five games, failing to score their first goals of the season until the dying stages of their 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
As such, pressure on him and the club as a whole has reached a boiling point.
While there are no implications of an immediate sacking, after spending £200m in the summer, Spurs are unlikely to persist much longer if they remain in the relegation zone.
With both sets of fans disgruntled, the result at Old Trafford could have serious implications on the rest of the season for both sides.
Should United return with a defeat at home to a bottom-of-the-league Tottenham side that were minutes away from going five games without a goal, will the outrage that would ignite force INEOS into a premature decision on Carrick as manager?