via Reuters
Manchester United have won just one of their opening five Premier League matches this season, and they were minutes away from making it four defeats in all competitions against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Man United's players have received widespread criticism, including from former Red Devil Gary Neville, for a lack of running at times during the game in the English capital.
The running stats weren't up to the standard demanded by a club like United, and they find themselves 12th in the standings as we head into the three-week international break, behind newly-promoted clubs Hull City and Ipswich Town.
The outside pressure is building on Carrick, with his team nowhere near the high levels they set in the second half of last season, where they were even better than Arsenal in terms of points won, from the 45-year-old's appointment in January until the end of the campaign.
Improvement is needed and quickly, starting with their clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on October 10. It is a vital game for opposing manager Roberto De Zerbi too, with Spurs bottom of the league having only taken two points from their five fixtures to date.
Carrick may well point to not enough summer business being done given the club has to deal with extra fixtures in the Champions League this season, having only faced 40 games in total last term.
United did rebuild their midfield with the additions of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, but only the former has been a regular so far, with Santos playing just 83 Premier League minutes and Baleba yet to play at all, as he recovers from injury.
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Cunha Record for United in 2025-26
Appearances
Goals
Assists
The early signs are that the Red Devils have neglected an area that desperately needed strengthening in terms of their defence, while the centre-forward position is proving to be an issue too.
GIVEMESPORT sources exclusively revealed on Monday that Benjamin Sesko was due to miss Slovenia's upcoming international fixtures with a shin injury, which not only caused him to miss the majority of the club's pre-season, but has also limited him to just two starts this term too.
In his place, Matheus Cunha has often played in the No.9 role, but he looks far less effective than he did on the left wing last season, which hasn't gone unnoticed by Nicky Butt, speaking on The Good, The Bad and the Football podcast.
Playing Cunha as a nine kills him.
“He’s nowhere near the player he is off the side. We haven’t got a No.9 other than Sesko other than [Joshua] Zirkzee, but he’s been going, staying, going, staying. And when he does come on, he doesn’t look anywhere near a Manchester United No.9."
Cunha Needs to Play in Different Position
REUTERS/Jon Super
If Sesko is to be on the sidelines for a number of weeks with this latest issue, Carrick needs to quickly find a solution to the centre-forward issue that is hindering United.
Butt is right, Cunha simply isn't the same player as he was last season when he was running from deep and causing huge problems for opposition full-backs, compared to now when he is featuring as a centre-forward and struggling to get involved in matches.
Had it not been for a heavily deflected goal against Fulham, it would have been five starts and no goals in the position for the Brazil international.
It leaves Carrick with a conundrum, because he has Marcus Rashford on the left, where Cunha has looked at his best for United.
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Mbeumo Record as CF for United
Appearances
Goals
Assists
That is where the former Wolves man needs to play, which leaves the 45-year-old boss deciding if he is going to use Joshua Zirkzee or Bryan Mbeumo through the middle.
The former has flattered to deceive in a red shirt and is constantly linked with a move away from Old Trafford, while Mbeumo is another player who generally looks more effective out wide, although his best performances came as a striker during pre-season.
Tottenham are a team really struggling right now, and starting the Cameroon international through the middle with either Rashford and Cunha on the left seems like the next smart move.
The issue is that, unless Amad Diallo is fit, there is a shortage of options on the right too, although Shea Lacey is pushing for a start following some impressive outings in recent weeks.
Man Utd | Benjamin Sesko
Man Utd | Benjamin Sesko