Paul Scholes believes Carrick has been let down by Manchester United's hierarchy over their "unambitious" summer transfer business.

Manchester United won just one of their opening five matches this season, a 5-2 victory over promoted Ipswich Town. Otherwise, they lost to Hull City and Manchester City, drew with Everton and Fulham, and were eliminated from the League Cup in their opening match.

Manchester United were relatively inactive in the summer transfer market. Following Casemiro's departure to Inter Miami, Ugarte arrived injured and has been deemed insufficient. Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes were Carrick's primary midfield targets. However, Anderson moved from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for £116 million, and Fernandes chose Tottenham Hotspur for £85 million over Manchester United.

The club also considered Tonali and Guimarães but ultimately withdrew due to their high asking prices. Both subsequently joined Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively for £92.5 million and £75 million.

Manchester United eventually signed Carlos Baleba for £70 million, but the Cameroon international arrived with an ankle injury and hasn't played. André Santos joined for £48 million but has started only once; Youri Tielemans arrived for £35 million, and Dalot joined on a free transfer.

Carrick also wanted to bring in a new left-back but the club failed to provide rotation cover for the 31-year-old Luke Shaw or find a long-term successor.

Manchester United legend Scholes expressed concern about the current situation, with the team sitting 12th after five matches. On the podcast "The Overlap," he said: "It's sad to say, but Manchester United are no longer a club aiming to compete for the title through their player purchases."

"Santos, Baleba, the players they've signed might be physically stronger. Santos played 11 games for Chelsea, and they spent £50 million on him."

"But he can't get into the team, and now Baleba might make a difference. However, if you're doing recruitment for Manchester United at the start of a season, you should be signing players you believe can help the team compete for the title. I think they're a long way from that."

"I think they just want to build on the foundation Michael laid last year, which is hard to understand. Would Manchester United have bought Elliot Anderson back then? Maybe. That kind of recruitment makes you feel the team could be much better. The players they've bought haven't made the team better."

The centre-forward position appears to be a particular concern for Scholes and podcast co-host Nicky Butt. Manchester United were willing to sell Zirkzee in the summer, but the deal ultimately fell through.

Carrick has been reluctant to use the Dutch striker during Benjamin Sesko's absence, and Zirkzee has made only two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far, with Matheus Cunha deployed as centre-forward.

Butt said: "Playing Cunha as number nine is wasting him; he's not a centre-forward. He's a completely different player compared to when he plays on the wing. Apart from Sesko, we don't have a true centre-forward. Zirkzee also doesn't look like a centre-forward Manchester United should have. How can Manchester United rely on just one centre-forward?"

Carrick led Manchester United to third place in the Premier League last season, and both Scholes and Butt stated that Carrick has been let down by the club's hierarchy.

Scholes said: "Michael must be very disappointed with what's happened this summer. I think behind the scenes, he will feel let down. Michael did a very, very good job last year."

"For Michael, the most important period is the start of this season. These matches are when you set the benchmark, and that lays the foundation for the entire season."

Since INEOS owner Ratcliffe took over football operations in February 2024, Manchester United has sacked two managers. Ten Hag was dismissed in October 2024, just three months after signing a new contract. His successor, Amorim, was sacked in January, after 14 months in charge.

Butt said: "As a fan, what frustrates me most is I no longer feel 'we'll definitely win this match.' Who do you blame? In my view, that should be directed at those at the top responsible for appointing managers, players, and coaching staff."

"I don't understand it. CEO Berrada said they'd win the league title by 2028. At this rate, that's impossible, not even a one-in-a-million chance."

"This isn't about destroying them completely, but it needs to be said that they came in and gave Ten Hag additional years on his contract, and it didn't work out. Then they appointed two more managers, and that didn't work either."

"A serious question needs to be asked – is there a problem with operations off the pitch and the club's transfer strategy, and then does that problem show itself on the pitch? I think this is a major issue."

Scholes added: "I don't think we can keep blaming the manager. We can't keep changing managers like this. The transfer department will bear much of the responsibility, especially after this summer."

"Did they see these primary targets – Rodri, Anderson? I feel like we're just buying for the sake of buying. It feels like they're accepting third, fourth, fifth-tier recruitment, and that's not good enough. I'd rather keep the money and say, 'Of course, we could find people from the academy who can do these things.'"

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