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Manchester United's poor performance under interim manager Michael Carrick has raised concerns about the team's future. Despite signing several new players, including Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, the team has struggled to score goals and is still searching for a winning formula.
Michael Carrick, right, needs his summer signings to do their job and for his forwards to start scoring. Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty, having taken four points from their first four games: a 2-0 defeat at Hull, 5-2 win against Ipswich, 1-1 draw at Everton and theSo are United, who host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before visiting Fulham in the league on Sunday, as poor as the table suggests?was appointed as temporary manager in December 2018 as a result of José Mourinho’s tempestuous tenure, he won 14 of 19 games and took over permanently in March 2019.
What followed was a nosedive of two victories from 10 matches and United ended in sixth – the position when Solskjaer arrived. St Patrick’s Athletic go to town on Dundalk to move top of the table in style FAI’s John Martin: ‘I think we all agree we shouldn’t be in the position where we have to play the game’revived the club’s fortunes as the interim coach last season after Ruben Amorim’s meltdown and sacking, and guided United to third.
Yet after assuming the permanent role results have worsened. Just because Solskjaer had an unstable team and was never secure in the job does not mean his former team-mate and assistant will have a similar experience. But how many more poor results is Carrick from Jason Wilcox being accused of hastily appointing another popular former United player?
A clue that the director of football may have had reservations regarding Carrick may lie in the brevity of the contract given to him: it runs to 2028. Manchester City's Enzo Fernández tackles Manchester United's Youri Tielemans in the penalty box on Sunday. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA When Phil Foden was sent off after 23 minutes at Old Trafford on Sunday, United had a man advantage over City.
But Carrick’s men remained becalmed, the Kobbie Mainoo-Youri Tielemans central axis unable to exert control and create chances for the front four of For the first time in 12 home Premier League games under Carrick, United generated less than 1.0 xG , which should be more of a concern for Carrick than the quasi-farcicalThe same issue was evident in the opening defeat at Hull, where Andrey Santos partnered Tielemans, there was close to zero goal threat and Carrick’s side were a portrait of passiveness. You have to wonder why a summer window-long interest in a left back that included Newcastle’s Lewis Hall , Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and RB Leipzig’s David Raum drew a blank.
Identifying that a position needs strengthening, then failing to do so, seems amateurish and cannot have delighted Carrick. Instead, three midfielders were bought: Tielemans, Santos and Carlos Baleba. With Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte in the squad, a case can be made that this was one too many recruits for the engine room. Instead, the finance for, say, Santos could have been invested at left back.
Four games into the season the potential folly of this was underlined. Luke Shaw, the first-choice left back, whose career is injury-plagued, was unavailable for City’s visit owing to a knock and Carrick was forced to field a stopgap in Patrick Dorgu. In last season’s corresponding fixture the Dane played as the wide-left forward – and scored.
On Sunday, when Josko Gvardiol crossed from United’s right for Haaland to net at the far post, Dorgu was the player challenging the Croat, instead of being in his left-sided defensive zone to mark City’s centre forward. It was also Dorgu’s errant header that handed City the ball to allow the attack to be launched. Manchester United's injured Carlos Baleba has yet to kick a ball.
Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty For a £148 million investment United acquired Santos, Tielemans and Baleba . The net result so far? A single start for Santos and anonymity from Tielemans, who has been in the XI for all four league matches.
Then you come to Baleba, the headline acquisition, who is yet to kick a ball owing to injury, the Cameroonian not expected back until after the international break. In this early-season phase none of this would matter if results were rosier. During an interview in August at United’s preseason training camp at Carton House,, Tielemans admitted no other clubs were interested in triggering his £35 million release clause at Aston Villa.
As United attempt to jump-start their campaign, Belgium’s captain needs to offer more – as a player and leader. Benjamin Sesko returned from injury as the season started and has made substitute appearances in all United’s league matches, plus a start at home to Sabah, against whom he scored. The Slovenian also got a goal in the 2-2 draw at Everton, making him United’s joint-third-highest scorer in the league, behind Fernandes and Mbeumo .
Cunha and Rashford have zero strikes in the league from four and three starts respectively, and Sesko’s directness as a natural No 9 may be an option worth exploring from kick-off at Fulham. – GuardianDominic Calvert-Lewin shows the way as Leeds thrash limp Newcastle and rise to thirdFAI’s John Martin: ‘I think we all agree we shouldn’t be in the position where we have to play the game’Culture Night 2026: 12 events to catch off the beaten track Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
Manchester United Michael Carrick Youri Tielemans Carlos Baleba
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