It has been a disastrous start to the new season for Manchester United, who are 18th in the Premier League and have already exited the Carabao Cup at the first attempt.
Damning results, coupled with dismal displays on the pitch and poor tactical calls, have meant former Michael Carrick has finally been shown the door.
But it is not the former head coach who deserves all the blame. Key players have let him down on the pitch, while INEOS badly fumbled the ball in the summer.
They signed three midfielders: Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. All three have struggled so far.
Carrick had recommended four names
And none of them were the former United midfielder‘s recommendations. Journalist Henry Winter reported that Carrick had asked the co-owners for four superstars in the summer.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe will one day have to explain why Manchester United didn’t follow Michael Carrick’s recommendation of the four players he felt the club needed in the summer window – Elliot Anderson, Lewis Hall, Morgan Rogers and, fourth on the list, Mateus Fernandes.”
In midfield, he wanted the Red Devils to bring in Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. United were outbid in both cases, and INEOS panic-bought the Belgian and Brazilian, neither of whom fits United’s current needs.
To end the over-reliance on Bruno Fernandes, who has struggled this season, Michael Carrick had asked the club to try and sign Morgan Rogers. He had worked with the Chelsea ace during his time at Middlesbrough, and he knew the England international could transform the team’s attack.
Given Luke Shaw‘s disastrous injury record, Carrick was adamant that a successor needed to be signed and he had recommended Lewis Hall.
| Stat | Andrey Santos | Carlos Baleba | Y. Tielemans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | 10 | 7 | 14 |
| Minutes | 563 | 397 | 988 |
| Starts | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Avg rating | 5.62 | 6.44 | 6.63 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 | 0 |
INEOS failed to sign even one
United dilly-dallied and eventually failed to sign anyone. That forced Carrick to play Diogo Dalot out on the left, a ploy that has failed miserably.
“Were debt repayments restricting their buying power? Was it simply because United felt the fees were too much for them? In the case of Fernandes, United certainly felt Spurs overpaid for the midfielder from relegated West Ham – £85m for a player West Ham bought from Southampton a year earlier for £38m.
“Anderson went for £114m, Rogers for £115m. Hall (overlooked for World Cup) could probably have been got for £60m+ before he committed to Newcastle United. Anderson would have transformed United’s midfield – certainly more than the £150m spent on Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans.”
It is hard to argue against any of the aforementioned points. Will Pochettino receive the necessary backing, or will it be a case of broken promises again in a year’s time? We will find out soon enough.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
