Manchester United host Bournemouth in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have had a dismal start to the campaign. They have picked up just seven points from as many league matches.
The club have also struggled in other competitions, and have lost their last two Champions League games at Atletico and Como.
They were humiliated by Como on the road midweek, suffering an embarrassing 4-1 defeat.
Carrick continues to be backed by United’s hierarchy, but anything less than a victory against Bournemouth on Sunday could lead to his sacking.
Ahead of the game, we believe the manager must unleash Joshua Zirkzee upfront in Benjamin Sesko’s continued injury absence.
Carrick has been hesitant to hand the Dutchman a starting role this campaign and has experimented with various options.
He started with Matheus Cunha as a makeshift number nine before opting for Bryan Mbeumo in the striker’s position.
In midweek, the 45-year-old surprisingly chose to play Bruno Fernandes up top, a decision that miserably failed to work out.
In our view, Carrick must opt for a specialist number nine to lead the line, and Zirkzee should be picked as he is the back-up striker.
Zirkzee had a relatively promising international break, scoring the winning goal for the Netherlands in the 2-1 Nations League win over Serbia.
The £36.5 million signing has since managed just 78 minutes, and 23 of those came in the recent game at Como, where he scored a late consolation goal.
Zirkzee netted for the Red Devils in the 91st minute against Como. He showed his clinical instincts from an Amad Diallo cross to find the back of the net.
The 25-year-old also provided better hold-up play as a striker than those who played upfront previously, and we feel Carrick must start him on Sunday.
The English tactician faces a make-or-break situation, and he should take a shrewd decision and pick Zirkzee to lead the line against Bournemouth.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com