Manchester United won only one of their opening four Premier League matches, and following the club's latest restructuring, some outsiders believe manager Carrick is facing mounting pressure.

Former United midfielder Nicky Butt believes Carrick may not survive until January following such a poor start.

Butt thinks United's manager, who officially took charge last summer, has a weak defense that struggles to compete with rivals, which could lead to his dismissal.

Butt said on "The Good, The Bad and The Football" that he felt Carrick did not receive enough reinforcements in the summer.

According to the UK Mirror, he said: "I think all these things are fine, they say the club and transfers are progressing step by step, but if you're a manager, you'd think the forwards feel they're in a good situation, but I don't think so."

He added: "I think they need a genuine number nine, a real striker. They've sorted the midfield, but that can also be debatable."

He continued: "I think they've done well there, but Carrick might not even make it to the next transfer window. He could say: 'Well, I've lost my job, and you didn't give me the tools I needed for the back-four system.'"

He added: "Anyway, Maguire was once an outstanding player, a top player, but now he's reached a certain age and he's starting to decline, and we've all been through that, haven't we? Once you get older, your pace drops off, or you're just not as good or as quick as you used to be."

He then stated: "Lisandro Martinez is still performing at the highest level, he's still a very good player. I also rate Luke Shaw highly when he's in form and available to play—he's one of Europe's finest defenders, but the problem is he's constantly injured."

He also said: "I don't think any right-back is good enough. So as a head coach or technical director, you see this situation and think: 'Okay, I really need to bring in a few players for the back-four system.'"

He concluded: "But it seems like United's transfer team and leadership are saying: 'No, this is the next phase, this might happen in January, or it might even be in progress, and it will be very difficult, or maybe we have to wait until summer.' This doesn't help the manager at all."

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