Five things Carrick must change to revive Man Utd and ease pressure

So what is going wrong for the new permanent manager and, crucially, what must he change to ease mounting pressure on his future? Flashscore has done some thinking and come up with five quick and easy solutions Carrick should consider to help him and Man Utd win football games again.

Give up on Cunha false nine experiment

Carrick instantly changed the formation to a back four with two wide forwards when he became interim boss last January and before long Matheus Cunha became his favoured left-winger. And it worked better than anyone could have expected. Cunha excelled both as a touchline winger and as a wide forward cutting inside.

He scored six Premier League goals last season after Carrick's appointment in mid-January and most of them were sensational strikes. Cunha had licence to do what he does best: get the ball in deep areas and run past defenders with his silky smooth feet. 

So Carrick's decision to play Cunha in an unfamiliar false nine this season to accommodate a returning Marcus Rashford has been curious. Cunha has seen little of the ball in a position which has long been a graveyard shift for United players and, in truth, the Brazilian has looked lost. 

Cunha hasn't been able to get on the half-turn and cause damage like last season. It is an experiment that simply isn't working. And it is not like Rashford has set the league alight on the left-wing; far from it, in fact. The England international looked dangerous and created some good chances in United's first couple of games but has still yet to register a goal or an assist.

Carrick's attack looked more coherent and dangerous last season when Cunha was on the left and so it doesn't make all too much sense to rip up that winning formula to accommodate a player who still has much to do to regain the trust of the United fanbase.

Therefore, Cunha should start on the left with Bryan Mbeumo up front (in a position that he is better suited to than Cunha), at least until Benjamin Sesko returns from injury. Rashford can still play an important role as an impact sub for Cunha or Mbeumo, but in our opinion, Rashford has a lot more to prove before he becomes a regular starter.

Shake up an error-prone defence

It has been obvious from the first week of the season, when Carrick's men were stunned by newly-promoted Hull City, that something isn't right about Man Utd defensively.

Individual errors, poor communication and a lack of athleticism have cost them at the start of this campaign, and eight goals conceded with zero clean sheets from their opening five games confirm the theory. Carrick has to change something in the back line and start giving more trust to the less experienced defenders in his squad. Now you could point to Leny Yoro's and Ayden Heaven's nightmare performances against Brighton in the EFL Cup as a reason to stick with a more experienced back four.

However, with Matthijs de Ligt reportedly returning from injury soon, Carrick can partner one of Yoro or Heaven with De Ligt, Maguire or Martinez, and he should seriously consider it. Yoro had a superb debut for France against Belgium in the Nations League the other day and will likely take a lot of confidence from that performance.

United need someone with Yoro's pace and athleticism in a back four that feels too reliant on last-ditch defending inside the box. Elsewhere in the backline, Patrick Dorgu deserves a run of games at left-back after Luke Shaw's poor start to the season because once more, Dorgu will add some pace and athleticism to the defence. 

Integrate Baleba into the midfield as fast as possible

Manchester United's marquee summer signing Carlos Baleba has yet to feature after being out with an injury sustained at the end of last season but the Cameroon midfielder returned to training during the international break and is at last an option.

Carrick should look to integrate Baleba as quickly as possible after it became clear in the opening months of the season that Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo don't work as a double pivot. Mainoo has been in good form and has carried on from where he left off last season.

The academy graduate has even continued to improve on his out-of-possession work but he hasn't become quick overnight. With Tielemans looking off the pace, it leaves you with a midfield two that is much better on the ball than off it and their lack of combined pace has caused Carrick problems in transition. 

Bringing in Baleba to partner Mainoo would instantly give United someone who can cover ground more efficiently, and having someone to put out fires before they get out of control is crucial in the modern game. In possession, Carrick's side might have to play slightly differently as Baleba offers something different on the ball than Tielemans.

Where Tielemans looks to unpick the opposition and is the king of the pass before the assist, Baleba will look to get United from defence to attack with the driving runs he is notorious for. But when you have someone like Mainoo alongside him who is so good at retaining possession, you have potential for a nicely balanced midfield duo.

Baleba coming into the midfield (against weaker opposition especially) should also give Mainoo more licence to cause havoc in the final third, as he did so brilliantly under Erik ten Hag in his breakthrough season.

Carrick can't waste too long integrating Baleba when his current midfield two isn't working and when he needs results fast to turn the tide on a season that threatens to get away from him.

Rotate Lacey and Amad on the right wing

If Mbeumo is to move to the number nine role, then there will be a vacancy on the right wing, but fortunately for Carrick, he has two strong candidates.

Exciting academy prospect Shea Lacey scored an exceptional goal in his first Manchester United start against Brighton and, despite still being inexperienced in senior football, Man Utd desperately need some youthful fearlessness in their attack. So far this campaign, their forward line has too often played within themselves but you can be certain Lacey will try to make things happen. 

Meanwhile, Amad Diallo is expected to be back from injury soon and that is very good news for Carrick. Although Amad struggled for goal contributions last season, United's attack almost always looks more dangerous when he plays.

The Ivorian is also so tenacious out of possession and if Carrick is to bring more mobility into the rest of the team, Amad's pressing qualities could prove especially useful. When he is on his game, Amad also has a good understanding with Bruno Fernandes, Cunha and Mbeumo, a chemistry that has felt missing in his absence. 

Improve fitness levels of the squad

A big issue to end on. Man Utd have gone from statistically one of the best teams in the league for distance covered per match under Ruben Amorim to one of the worst under Michael Carrick. Last season it didn't really matter, partly because United's squad were incredibly fit when Carrick was appointed and the key thing for him was to simplify everything and get players back playing in their right positions. 

But Tielemans' pre-season interview with Rio Ferdinand was alarming. When asked what training had been like in pre-season, Tielemans admitted they just did 'quick, sharp sessions'. When Ferdinand pressed him more about whether they did lots of running, Tielemans simply said: 'No'. 

Concern from the media and supporters about what that could mean was justified when Man Utd looked unfit in the first few games of the season. The stats are also damning for Carrick. 

According to Sky Sports, five games into the season, Man Utd are 20th in distance covered at high intensity, 20th in time spent at high intensity, 20th in time sprinting and 17th in percentage of time walking out of possession.

Carrick needs to identify this issue and accept that in the modern game and especially in the Premier League, being super fit is fundamental. United looked to have quite an effective trigger press even under Carrick last season, and he must attempt to bring it back. 

The Red Devils will have greater mobility in their team even if Baleba and Amad are the only two changes in personnel and so there is no reason why they can't implement an effective press - these players have proven they can do it before.

Personnel changes and fitness training are easy fixes for glaring issues Carrick faces, but he must change things immediately; otherwise, pressure will only increase as results inevitably fail him. 

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