Manchester United are seven games without a win and sinking under Michael Carrick
Thursday marks exactly five months since Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as head coach. The morning after a 4-1 thumping at Como, there is no mood for anniversaries. United have made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season and are now seven matches without a win across all competitions.
- Run: Seven games without a win in all competitions for Manchester United
- Last result: Como 4-1 Manchester United, described by Carrick as leaving him "angry"
- League: United's worst-ever start to a Premier League season
- Contract: Carrick signed until 2028 after a strong end to last season
- Next fixture: Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday
- Summer spend: £163m — less than promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town among others
What was said
"If you don't run back, you ain't going to win."
"Conceding the goal very early makes us feeling, going into the game, already in a mood of a defeat."
"It's very difficult to get out of that at the moment, without being ourselves and trying to push and trying to be brave, trying to have the ball, trying to make something happen."
"If we're not able to do that it's going to be very difficult to get out of this situation."
The club captain criticising the tactical plan while the head coach criticises the running effort is a telling split. Fernandes has framed the problem as much mental as physical, and his own drop-off — one goal involvement in his past nine United games — means the talisman is part of the diagnosis as well as the proposed cure.
Carrick's line about running back is the more revealing quote. It is not a technical complaint. It is an accusation that his players are not covering ground, and the numbers support him.
The numbers
- United spent £163m in the summer — less than promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town, and seven other Premier League clubs
- United have been out-run in six of their seven Premier League games; the exception was when Manchester City played over an hour with a man fewer
- Fernandes has one goal involvement in his past nine United games
- All four of Fernandes' Premier League goal involvements came against Ipswich Town — three goals and one assist
- Fernandes' chance creation figures have halved this season after breaking the assists record last term
- Since the Ipswich game, Fernandes has had 12 shots — just two on target
- No team has had more shots than United this season, but they rank joint-worst for xG per shot
- United were the top scorers across the final 17 games of last season
- United have not kept a clean sheet this season
- Roughly four of the nine players unavailable on Wednesday could return for Bournemouth
Injury and availability
Benjamin Sesko remains absent through injury, leaving United without a focal point and no alternative out-and-out striker. In defence, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw are injured, Ayden Heaven is ill, and Leny Yoro was suspended for the Como trip. Matthijs de Ligt was visibly laboured on his first appearance in 11 months in Italy. Fitness work is ongoing for Carlos Baleba, who is working back towards full sharpness. For Bournemouth on Sunday, Yoro, Martinez and Heaven would refresh the defence, while Marcus Rashford could add a spark to the attack.
Seeds sown in the summer
The squad-building complaint predates the collapse. Last week it was Lisandro Martinez hitting out at the hierarchy, with technical director Jason Wilcox in his sights, over the club not strengthening further in the summer window. This week it was Fernandes questioning the coaching.
United's £163m outlay was focused on midfield. Left-back and centre-forward were not bolstered. The consequences are multi-layered and stretch back to the Glazer takeover, but the footballing point is simple: Carrick was not able to significantly upgrade this group to go from playing 40 games last season to Champions League football and an attempt to improve on a third-place finish.
Fitness, pressing and a misfiring attack
The World Cup made it a draining summer for players at elite clubs, and when concerns about this season's increased workload were combined with Youri Tielemans suggesting there had been a lighter load of pre-season running, alarm bells rang. United's intensity has since proved a standout problem.
Fernandes may have issues with the pressing plan, but the wider attacking picture is bleak. United's shot volume is the highest in the league and their xG per shot is joint-worst: speculative rather than substantial. With Sesko unavailable, Fernandes took on the false-nine role at Como and it did not work.
At the back, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui had games to forget in Italy. Different midfield pairings have been tried in front of the backline, but the right combination — which likely includes Baleba — is still being searched for.
Why United's structure without the ball is the real problem
Bruno Fernandes is being asked to lead a press from centre-forward in a team that does not run. That combination cannot work. The shot numbers tell the story: lots of attempts from bad positions because there is no striker pinning defenders — then, when possession is lost, nobody recovers the space behind the press.
Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro returning would help the defensive line push higher, while Carlos Baleba's fitness is arguably the single most important factor in stopping the out-of-possession bleeding. Getting the midfield screen right protects a backline that has faced wave after wave of runners.
Carrick's contract to 2028 was earned by that final-17-game run when his side were the league's top scorers and Fernandes was the engine. Recapturing that from this position would be some trick. The Bournemouth game is the immediate test of whether the bravery Fernandes demands exists in the group.
Talking points
- The £163m summer spend is the root cause — failing to add a left-back or a senior striker left Carrick trying to compete on three fronts with a 40-game squad.
- Fernandes is the biggest problem, not the solution: one goal involvement in nine games and four of his five league contributions coming in a single afternoon against Ipswich.
- Carrick's in-game pressing plan is defensible; what is indefensible is a squad out-run in six of seven league games, which points at pre-season conditioning and fitness staff.
- Martinez and Yoro returning fixes the defence, but nothing changes at Old Trafford until Baleba is fit enough to shield the backline properly.
What happens next
Bournemouth visit Old Trafford on Sunday, with Yoro, Martinez, Heaven and potentially Rashford available again. Anything other than a convincing performance and result leaves United searching for answers from an even deeper hole, with the five-month anniversary of a decision that once looked obvious now reading very differently.
Frequently asked questions
How many games has Manchester United gone without a win?
Seven across all competitions, following the 4-1 defeat at Como.
Who is available for Manchester United against Bournemouth?
Up to four of the nine players missing on Wednesday could return, with Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven refreshing the defence and Marcus Rashford available for the attack.
Why is Bruno Fernandes under criticism at Manchester United?
He has just one goal involvement in his past nine United games, and all four of his Premier League goal involvements this season came against Ipswich Town.
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