Manchester United have one win in four Premier League games, no clean sheet and seven goals conceded. For the third time in less than 10 months, they were beaten by opponents reduced to 10 men before half-time. The questions around Michael Carrick’s side are back fast, and the fixture list does not give them long to quiet them down.

Carrick's side and the familiar problems

Carrick insisted after the defeat that, “We don't need a break or a restart,” but the problem is less about rhetoric than repetition. Manchester United have already left too many of the same gaps open, and Enzo Maresca is not an entity listed for linking here, so his description of United as a team that “loves transitions and space in behind” lands as a neat summary of how opponents are still seeing them.

That defensive looseness is hard to ignore when the same team has conceded seven goals and failed to shut anyone out. United’s £155m summer spend has had a limited overall impact so far, which only adds to the sense that the squad has not settled quickly enough for the demands around the club.

Fernandes still carries too much of the load

The clearest individual story is Bruno Fernandes. He has scored three times and has one assist so far this season, so the issue is not that he has gone quiet. It is that so much of United’s creativity still comes through him, and Carrick admitted after the game, “We could have finished the game better. We could have been a little bit more creative.”

Fernandes’ final-year contract adds another layer, with United holding an option to extend it to the summer of 2028. That does not make every performance a negotiation, but it does make his output feel even more central to how the side is judged. If he is still the one finishing and creating at this rate, United will keep leaning on him whether that is ideal or not.

Brighton and Fulham arrive quickly

The next two games will not wait around. United entertain Brighton in the Carabao Cup on 16 September, before a trip to Fulham four days later. Carrick said he felt his side had “a fair bit of the initiative, especially second half,” but the schedule gives him little room for comfort after a league start that has already raised familiar concerns.

The numbers are simple enough: one win in four, zero clean sheets and seven goals conceded. The response now has to come on the pitch, starting against Brighton, then at Fulham on 20 September.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →