Manchester United have now lost three times in less than 10 months to opponents who had a player sent off before the interval — the latest being a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City that has renewed a string of uncomfortable questions around the club.
The result prompted an official apology from Pro Ref, who acknowledged what they described as "an error of judgement" over the goal scored by Erling Haaland. Yet, regardless of that controversy, the deeper concerns will dominate discussion at United's Carrington training ground.
Head coach Michael Carrick, who last weekend pushed back against the suggestion that four points from three games was a poor start, now concedes that four points from four matches falls short of expectations. "There is no getting away" from that reality, he admitted.
Recruitment under scrutiny
United's £155m summer spending was directed primarily at midfield, yet the returns have been modest. Youri Tielemans is yet to hit top gear, Carlos Baleba has still to make his debut, and Andrey Santos — dropped to the bench after the opening game at Hull — was unused entirely against City.
Left-back cover was another notable gap: Luke Shaw's run of 41 consecutive Premier League starts came to an end with no specialist replacement brought in, as many had expected. The late introduction of Joshua Zirkzee — a forward available throughout the summer — as one of only two substitutes used against City underlined the squad's lack of depth.
New City head coach Enzo Maresca offered a sharp analysis of United's difficulties. He acknowledged Phil Foden's red card made things harder for his own side but explained why it also neutralised United. "They are a team that loves transitions and space in behind," he said. "With 10 players, we just dropped and waited for them, so we didn't concede any transitions and didn't concede any space in behind."
United have struggled to evolve beyond a counter-attacking identity since Jose Mourinho's tenure more than a decade ago. Carrick, a player renowned for composure and ball retention, is understood to favour a possession-based approach — but turning that philosophy into results against well-organised, defensive opponents has proved difficult.
Fernandes and the burden of reliance
Bruno Fernandes claimed both the PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards last season after scoring nine goals and recording a Premier League record 22 assists. This campaign, three goals and a single assist represent a drop-off — and observers noted he appeared fatigued in the City defeat.
Those concerns are amplified by Carrick's decision to keep Fernandes on the pitch for the full 90 minutes of the Champions League tie against Sabah FK, despite United leading 3-0 at half-time and knowing City were just three days away. Now entering the final year of his deal — with a club option to extend until 2028 — an over-dependence on Fernandes looks increasingly risky.
Questions about Carrick himself
Carrick was handed a permanent two-year contract in May after steering United through 12 wins from 17 matches as interim manager following Ruben Amorim's dismissal. Comparisons with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment in 2019 — another popular former player promoted from caretaker duty — surfaced immediately and have not gone away.
Solskjaer, the only post-Sir Alex Ferguson United manager to deliver back-to-back top-three Premier League finishes, never fully silenced doubts about whether he was an elite-level coach. Carrick faces the same scrutiny. When City were reduced to 10 men, his side failed to press the advantage decisively.
"We could have finished the game better. We could have been a little bit more creative," Carrick conceded after the final whistle.
United face Brighton in the Carabao Cup on 16 September, then travel to Fulham four days later. Carrick needs results from both — before a three-week international break turns the volume up even further on questions that have long followed this club.
