Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick faces one of his most pressing tests of the season when his side travel to Fulham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm, kick-off 4.30pm — and the pressure has intensified sharply after back-to-back Premier League defeats.

A collapse that left no room for positives

United's midweek loss at home to Brighton & Hove Albion was a deeply troubling result. Captain Youri Tielemans admitted afterwards that once his side conceded a second goal, they stopped competing — and it showed. From around the 20-minute mark, Brighton had taken control of Old Trafford, and even the introductions of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha could not shift the momentum.

Carrick, who since returning to the club in January has consistently found reasons for optimism after difficult results, had no such lifeline to grasp this time. There was no individual performance to highlight, no structural improvement to point to — just a flat, listless team overwhelmed by the visitors.

Defensive frailties that refuse to disappear

When Carrick and his coaching staff first arrived, their immediate impact on United's defensive organisation drew widespread praise. Wins against Manchester City and Arsenal underlined how much coaches Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate, and Jonny Evans had improved the back line's discipline and structure.

That goodwill is now being tested. United have conceded two goals in three of their four Premier League fixtures this season. Against Brighton, one of those goals came from a goalkeeping error by Karl Darlow, but the wider picture — the lack of shape and communication across the back four — was the more damning concern.

The left-back position remains Carrick's most persistent headache. Luke Shaw has missed three games with a minor injury, and with his age and well-documented history of physical setbacks, the failure to recruit a senior left-back during the summer transfer window looks increasingly costly. Noussair Mazraoui has been used there without convincing, Patrick Dorgu was preferred in the Manchester derby despite his inexperience, and young Harry Amass does not appear to be regarded as a long-term answer.

Transfer decisions coming back to haunt United

A lack of player sales this summer limited United's capacity to reinforce the squad. But critics will point out that the club's known vulnerabilities — particularly at left-back and through the middle — were not adequately addressed even within those constraints.

With Benjamin Sesko carrying a shin injury throughout the summer, a temporary centre-forward could have eased the burden on Mbeumo and Cunha, both of whom have struggled to replicate the form they showed under Carrick last season. Playing them as makeshift strikers has served neither player nor team particularly well.

This tension — between the squad's limitations and the decisions made to address them — appears to be what triggered the boos heard at Old Trafford after the Brighton defeat. For many supporters, it carried the familiar weight of a false dawn: a promising start under a new head coach, followed by a return to the same cycle of underperformance.

Carrick's job under scrutiny — but context matters

Discussing Carrick's future after just a handful of games into the new season feels premature. Since his return in January, United have accumulated more Premier League points than any other club. Moments of misfortune — Ainsley Maitland-Niles' late equaliser for Everton, a controversial VAR decision that allowed Manchester City's goal to stand — have skewed perceptions slightly.

Yet if United lose at Fulham, uncomfortable questions about Carrick's ability to arrest this decline will grow louder. He deserves credit for what he delivered last term and sympathy for the squad he inherited. But ultimately, halting the slide — even with a positive display rather than a result at Craven Cottage — is now his most urgent task.