Manchester United's poor start raises pressure on Carrick

Manchester United managed only a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening at home against Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the club with the worst start to a season in four decades and after six games sitting on just six points in 13th place. The pressure on manager Michael Carrick is mounting, as the team's objectives drift further out of reach.

Result against Tottenham and previous matches

In the match against Tottenham, Bryan Mbeumo gave the Reds the lead before Dominic Solanke equalised in stoppage time. After a foul by Rodrigo Bentancur on Luke Shaw, Bentancur was shown a red card in the 78th minute, leaving the London side with ten men.

Before this duel, Manchester United lost the Manchester derby 0-1 to Manchester City, with Phil Foden being sent off already in the 23rd minute. The only win of the season came on matchday two, a 5-2 victory over promoted side Ipswich Town. After six games the Red Devils sit on six points in 13th place – the worst start since the 1986/87 season, when Alex Ferguson led the club to eleventh place. In the two previous years the Reds had amassed seven points after six matches.

Carrick's position and transfer policy

Michael Carrick took over as head coach in January from Rúben Amorim, initially as interim manager and then on a permanent basis after the previous season. As a player, Carrick made 464 appearances for Manchester United and won the Premier League five times. Prior to his return he was released by Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Man United under pressure, Carrick demands an immediate response

Benjamin Littlemore, UK Content Manager at Transfermarkt, criticised the situation: “Many fans and media were already sceptical of Carrick before the first whistle of this season. The view was that Man United had benefited greatly last season from not being involved in any cup competition and having only one match per week under him.” He added: “Balancing the European competition presents a different challenge, and the reinforcements were limited in certain areas.”

Before the season Manchester United invested €173 million in new players, with the focus on central midfield: Carlos Baleba arrived from Brighton for €76 million, Andrey Santos from Chelsea for €56 million and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for €41 million. Baleba featured only once due to an injury.

Market value, investments and reporting

Carlos Baleba’s market value in defensive midfield is listed at €65 million. Littlemore stresses that both Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo are talented but too similar, leaving United lacking punch in midfield.

Eddie Howe eyes United job as Carrick's tenure under pressure

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