According to the Guardian, Manchester United currently sits in 13th place in the Premier League and has collected only 4 points from their first 4 matches. On Wednesday, Manchester United will host Brighton in the League Cup at home, and on Sunday they will travel to face Fulham. Is the team's performance as poor as their league position suggests?

In December 2018, amid instability under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was appointed interim manager. He then led the team to 14 wins in 19 matches and became permanent manager in March 2019. However, the team's performance deteriorated sharply, winning only 2 of 10 matches, and Manchester United finished the season in 6th place. In the last season, Michael Carrick took over as interim manager after Amorim fell ill and was sidelined, revitalizing the team and ultimately securing 3rd place. However, results declined after his permanent appointment. While Solskjær's turbulent management and defensive vulnerabilities led to his dismissal in November 2021, this does not mean his former colleagues and assistants will follow the same path. However, Jason Wilcox risks criticism for hastily appointing a popular Manchester United legend. One concerning sign regarding football director Carrick is his short contract, which runs only until 2028.

On Sunday, Foden was sent off at Old Trafford in the 23rd minute, giving Manchester United a numerical advantage. However, Carrick's team continued to play a disappointing match. The midfield pairing of Mainoo and Tielemans failed to control the game or create chances for Bruno Fernandes, Mbeumo, Cunha, and Rashford in front of them. In Carrick's first 12 home Premier League matches, Manchester United's xG fell below 1.0 for the first time, reaching only 0.95. This near-farcical VAR decision that led to Haaland's winning goal should concern Carrick more. A similar problem occurred in the match against Hull City away, where they lost 2-0, with Andre Santos partnering Tielemans in midfield, and the team posed little attacking threat. Carrick's team appeared to lack any rhythm from the start.

It is surprising that the team failed to secure a left-back during the entire summer transfer window despite searching for one. Lewis Hall from Newcastle was a top target, while Skelly from Arsenal and Raum from RB Leipzig were also on the list. After identifying the area in need of reinforcement, failure to complete signings seems frustrating, and it is clear that Carrick would not be satisfied with such results.

Instead, the club signed three midfielders: Tielemans, Andre Santos, and Baleba. With Mainoo and Ugarte in consideration (the latter still sidelined with a long-term injury), the team has a surplus of midfielders. For example, the £48 million spent to sign Santos plus £2 million could have been entirely invested in securing a left-back position. This hidden vulnerability emerged in the fourth week of the season. Regular left-back Luke Shaw was unavailable due to a minor injury against Manchester City, forcing Carrick to deploy Dogu in that position. In a similar match last season, the Danish player played as a left winger and conceded a goal. On Sunday, after Gvardiol sent the ball forward from Manchester City's right flank, Haaland scored while Dogu was not in the left defensive area to mark the Manchester City forward but instead was facing a goalkeeper. Manchester City's attack was also aided by Dogu's poor clearance header, which returned the ball to the opposition.

Manchester United spent €148 million this summer, signing Santos, Tielemans (£35 million), and Baleba (£65 million). So far, what have the results been? Santos made only one appearance against Hull City, Tielemans appeared in all four league matches but without distinction. As for Baleba, his most notable contribution has been his absence due to injury, expected to return only after international matches. At the start of the season, these issues should not be major concerns if results were positive.

In August, during an interview at Manchester United's pre-season training camp in County Kildare, Tielemans admitted that he was not interested in receiving higher wages from any other club than Aston Villa, where he earned £35 million. Now, as Manchester United tries to restart its season, both as a player and as a leader, Tielemans needs to provide greater support.

After recovering from injury at the start of the season, Sesko has come off the bench in all of Manchester United's league matches and started against Shabab, scoring in that match. The Slovenian player also scored against Everton in a 2-2 draw and has become Manchester United's third-highest scorer behind Bruno Fernandes' 3 goals and Mbeumo's 2 goals. While Cunha and Rashford have made 4 and 3 appearances respectively, neither has scored in the league. When Manchester United travels to face Fulham, if Carrick uses a different starting eleven that includes Sesko, his direct attacking style should be tested.

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