According to The Guardian, Man Utd currently sit 13th in the Premier League, having earned just 4 points from their opening 4 matches. On Wednesday, Man Utd will host Brighton in the League Cup, and this Sunday, they travel to Fulham. Can the Red Devils' form really be as poor as their league position suggests?

In December 2018, amid continued unrest under Mourinho, Solskjær was appointed interim manager. He subsequently led the team to 14 wins in 19 matches and was given the permanent role in March 2019. However, the team then suffered a sharp decline, winning just 2 of 10 matches, and Man Utd ultimately finished sixth—the same position they occupied when Solskjær took over.

Last season, following Amorim's departure and sacking, Carrick took over as interim manager, revitalized the team's spirits, and ultimately secured third place. But after receiving the permanent appointment, results began to deteriorate. Solskjær's coaching ability proved inconsistent, his position remained precarious, and he was eventually sacked in November 2021. This doesn't necessarily mean his former teammate and assistant will follow a similar path. However, how many poor results must Carrick endure before Jason Wilcox faces criticism for another hasty appointment of a former Man Utd player? One sign the sporting director may harbor reservations about Carrick is his short contract length, running only until 2028.

On Sunday, Foden was sent off at Old Trafford in the 23rd minute, giving Man Utd a numerical advantage. However, Carrick's side still performed poorly, and the midfield pairing of Mainoo and Tielemans failed to control the game or create chances for Bruno Fernandes, Mbeumo, Cunha, and Rashford in attack. This was Man Utd's first Premier League home game under Carrick where xG fell below 1.0 in 12 matches, registering just 0.95—a concern that should worry Carrick more than the near-farcical VAR decision that allowed Haaland's winning goal. A similar problem occurred in the 0-2 away defeat to Hull City in the opening match, where Andre Santos partnered Tielemans in midfield and the team created almost no meaningful attacking threat. Carrick's side appears entirely lacking in creativity.

One must wonder why the club spent the entire summer pursuing a left-back only to fail to secure that position. Newcastle's Lewis Hall was the primary target, with Arsenal's Skelly and RB Leipzig's Raum also on the list. Identifying a position needing reinforcement but then failing to complete the signing seems amateurish, and Carrick clearly would not welcome such an outcome.

Instead, the club purchased three midfielders: Tielemans, Andre Santos, and Baleba. Including Mainoo and Ugarte—the latter still sidelined with a long-term injury—the squad has too many midfielders. The fees spent acquiring Santos, for instance, €48 million plus €2 million, could have been entirely invested in a left-back position. Four matches in, this latent vulnerability has become evident. Left-back Luke Shaw suffered a minor injury and missed the Manchester City match, forcing Carrick to temporarily deploy Dogu. In a similar match last season, the Danish player operated as a left winger and scored. On Sunday, as Gvardiol crossed from Man Utd's right flank and Haaland finished at the far post, Dogu was competing for the header against the Croatian defender rather than marking Manchester City's striker in his left-side defensive area. Manchester City's attack was also helped by Dogu's errant headed clearance, which returned possession to the opposition.

Man Utd spent €148 million this summer, signing Santos, Tielemans (£35 million), and Baleba (£65 million). What have the results been so far? Santos has started just once, in the defeat to Hull City; Tielemans has been largely ineffective, despite starting all four Premier League matches. As for Baleba, this much-anticipated signing has yet to feature due to injury and is expected to return after the international break. Early in the season, such issues shouldn't matter much, provided results are good enough.

In an interview at Man Utd's pre-season training camp in County Kildare in August, Tielemans acknowledged that no other club was willing to trigger his £35 million release clause at Aston Villa. Now, as Man Utd attempts to turn their season around, he needs to deliver more both as a player and as a leader.

Sesko has recovered from his early-season injury and has come off the bench in all of Man Utd's Premier League matches, except for when he started and scored against Saba. The Slovenian striker also netted in the 2-2 draw with Everton, making him Man Utd's joint third-leading Premier League scorer with 3 goals, behind Bruno Fernandes' 3 goals and level with Mbeumo's 2. Cunha and Rashford have started 4 and 3 times respectively but have yet to score in the league. Should Man Utd decide to start Sesko in the away fixture against Fulham, his direct attacking style could be worth trying.

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