Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Michael Carrick looks set to continue as Manchester United head coach after the international break, giving him three weeks to fix the six big problems within the team right now.
It is a completely unique situation that sees Michael Carrick almost handed a second pre-season to step back, rethink, and change the fortunes of his Manchester United side this season; or else he won’t have long before facing serious pressure.
Carrick can’t add to his squad, but there are six problems and decisions he needs to deal with in the next three weeks before Tottenham come to Old Trafford.
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Whip Manchester United into shape
The first and most obvious thing Carrick needs to do is make his squad far fitter and more intense than it has been in the opening weeks of the season.
Gary Neville slammed United after a performance against Fulham, which lacked any fight, desire, or effort. But this has become the norm as United’s players haven’t looked in shape, playing at a slow pace with and without the ball, which has hurt Carrick at both ends of the pitch.
Youri Tielemans’ pre-season comments on training under Carrick explained that there wasn’t much physical or running work being done, more technical. Now, Carrick has a chance to make this right and get his players running, working, and getting into the shape that is needed to succeed in Premier League football.
Carrick needs to make training twice as strenuous as a game for the players, so that the weekend will feel a lot easier.
Michael Carrick must tighten United’s pressing structure
Fulham sliced United open time and time again, and they aren’t alone in doing so. Despite holding lots of possession, United don’t control games, and a big factor in this is how easily the high press is being exposed.
United’s system currently sees a line of four in front of the two midfielders and then the shaky back four, which is almost a deer in headlights, and this is exposed by all opponents.
Against Fulham, they were having joy going right through the pressing structure of United. When the ball was played past the front four, United’s midfield pairing of Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo were simply too far from Shea Charles or Sander Berge to effectively press.
Caught in no man’s land, United were then on the back foot, and Fulham were immediately through against the back line, which is really weak, leading to loads of opportunities created without too much trouble.
This needs to be solved, or United will continue conceding lots of goals and chances.
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Finding front three balance
United have had a lot of shots this season already, but the issue has been conversion, and also creating big enough chances to score more goals.
Part of this issue is the structure of the front three that Carrick has been persisting with. Marcus Rashford, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo have been first-choice this season, with all three being more goal scorers than creators.
Cunha is way better on the left, yet is playing up front because of Benjamin Sesko being injured. Ideally, Cunha would start on the left going forward.
While on the right, Mbeumo doesn’t offer much in the way of creativity and can go missing for long periods within a game. Amad or Shea Lacey would offer much more by getting involved in the game and creating, while still being goal threats.
Cunha and Lacey on the wings with Mbeumo up front for his running and scoring would make a lot more sense than the current mess of a front-line United have been struggling with.
Bruno Fernandes’ positioning
This season so far has seen Carrick persisting with that aforementioned four-man front-line, as Bruno Fernandes tends to sit almost as a number nine, which sees a big gap between midfield and attack with no link.
It is another argument to move Cunha away from the nine role as he is almost being a false nine, which is exactly where Fernandes is, and they are therefore just getting in each other’s way.
It would be less of a problem with Benjamin Sesko or Mbeumo up front stretching defences, but currently, he and Cunha are making it easy for defenders.
Fernandes needs to be more in a traditional 10, floating around, getting space, not standing on the last line as the ball is laboriously knocked around the defence.
Fulham v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
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Sort out the centre-back pairing
Over the past week, we learned two things about United’s centre-back situation. One, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven can’t play together, and two, neither can Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.
One pairing is too naive, reckless, and inexperienced, while the other lacks mobility and athleticism. So the logical fix is to mix them, at least until Matthijs de Ligt is fit.
Yoro and Martinez would be our preferred pair, although even that is far from perfect. Carrick can’t continue with the same struggling back-line, and Yoro deserves a chance over Maguire, who has been really poor this season.
Carrick must restore a sense of competition for places
What has been a big factor of frustration around United this season so far has been the persistence Carrick has with players who haven’t deserved a start.
There are several examples of this; Carrick simply doesn’t pick based on form, which kills any competition within the squad. Shea Lacey should have started against Fulham, deserving it after a strong showing mid-week, yet Carrick ignored him completely.
Nobody should be safe, not even Fernandes. If a player is having a 3/10 performance, they shouldn’t be entitled to start the following week; this only damages the squad.
So Carrick should go into the next stage of the season ready to drop whoever is underperforming and give chances to the likes of Lacey, and bring other academy talents through.