Familiar questions for Man Utd, now Carrick must find answers

Familiar questions for Man Utd, now Carrick must find answers. One win, at home to newly-promoted Ipswich, means so many questions – around recruitment, team selection, substitutions, tactics and Carrick himself – will now start to be asked ahead of a huge week.

What happened

"No-one is panicking just yet, but United's start to the season has raised familiar questions. BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions. In between those big challenges there have been more questions than answers. After one win in four Premier League games, the problems are mounting for Manchester United and manager Michael Carrick. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Michael Carrick's United have won one of their opening four Premier League matches this seasonBySimon StoneManchester United reporterPublished14 September 2026For the third time in less than 10 months, Manchester United have been beaten by opponents reduced to 10 men before half-time.

After pushing back on the idea four points from three games wasn't a great start at Everton last weekend, head coach Michael Carrick now accepts "there is no getting away" from the fact four points from four games is below expectations. "We don't need a break or a restart," said Carrick.

The wider picture

If nothing else, Carrick needs his side to deliver to prevent a new three-week international break being filled with external inquests around what is going wrong at Old Trafford. As a player, Carrick liked to get on the ball and not give it away. Yet, with Youri Tielemans yet to find top form, Carlos Baleba still to make his debut and Andrey Santos dropped to the bench after the opening game at Hull and not used at all against City, the overall impact of their £155m summer spend has been limited.

And the introduction of Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee – someone who had been available for transfer all summer – for Marcus Rashford seven minutes from time as one of only two United substitutes, gave a strong indication the overall depth in Carrick's squad is not at the level required. Some observers felt he looked tired against City, which only heightened questions around his involvement against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in the Champions League. Despite their lowly ranking, it was understandable why Carrick would take no chances with his team selection as United returned to Europe's elite competition after a two-year absence.

However, with his side three goals up at the break and knowing there was a three-day turnaround to the City game, it was puzzling why Carrick elected to leave his skipper on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as he chose to use all five substitutes. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Michael Carrick spent 136 games in charge of Middlesbrough to June 2025Carrick was appointed head coach on a permanent basis with a two-year contract in May after presiding over 12 victories in 17 games when in temporary charge following Amorim's dismissal.

What has been reported

While most said Carrick deserved his shot at the job full-time, others said it smacked of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment, also after impressing in interim charge in 2019. Critics will continue to argue the same is true of Carrick until he proves them otherwise. But finding a location for a pit lane that is not split in half by a building and making it somewhere the pits and paddock can be together and entirely outside would be another step in the right direction.

The challenge for England is to find the right blend to suit the winter. Cox is extremely highly rated by the England management, who must decide how much weight to put on Gay's skill as a specialist opener. And this is where England find themselves yet again, with judgement reserved until biggest challenges. Related topicsCricketEngland Men's Cricket TeamMore on this story'Out of control' – Cook questions England tacticsPublished3 days agoHesson open to Pakistan Test job after England approachPublished2 days agoEngland survive scare to sweep Pakistan seriesPublished2 days ago

While the arguments raging around the 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City have centred around the official apology from Pro Ref to United for what they say was "an error of judgement" around Erling Haaland's matchwinner, the inquest will go much deeper at the club's Carrington training ground.

What happens next

"We've just got to move on and get winning again. "United entertain Brighton in the Carabao Cup on 16 September, before a trip to Fulham four days later. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Youri Tielemans was the only new signing who was involved in Manchester United's defeat by Manchester CitySpeaking in his press conference after the game, new City boss Enzo Maresca accepted Phil Foden's red card made the game more difficult for his side. However, he also highlighted why he knew it would also be a problem for United.

"They are a team that loves transitions and space in behind," he said. "With 10 players, we just dropped and waited for them, so we didn't concede any transitions and didn't concede any space in behind. That is why the game became more difficult for us and for them.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.