Nicky Butt says Michael Carrick is killing Matheus Cunha at United

Former Manchester United star Nicky Butt says manager Michael Carrick is “killing” Matheus Cunha by forcing him to play as a No.9, and the Red Devils (Man Utd) have only five points from their opening five Premier League games as they head into the international break.

Carrick was appointed permanent Manchester United boss before the end of last season after impressing as caretaker. He guided the club to Champions League qualification by finishing third in the Premier League.

Summer spending leaves gaps

In the summer United spent around £150m on midfield reinforcements Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. The club, however, refrained from further marquee signings, leaving a shortage of No.9 options.

Carrick has often preferred Cunha to Benjamin Sesko as the centre‑forward at the start of the campaign. Butt argues that Cunha thrives on the wing and that “paying Cunha as a nine kills him”, a comment made on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast.

Rooney pushes injured Sesko to play as Utd eye Tottenham clash

Criticism of the front line and defence

Butt added that Cunha “doesn’t look anywhere near a Manchester United No.9” and lamented the lack of alternatives beyond Sesko and Zirkzee. He also said the midfield “has good footballers but can’t dominate a game” and described the back four as “average”. “Harry is past his best”, “Martinez is a good footballer but not a dominant centre back”, and “Luke plays three or four games, gets an injury, then he’s back in” were also quoted.

The former player and podcast co‑host Paul Scholes mocked Sesko’s shin injury, asking “how do you injure your shin? Ain’t that a broken leg?”. Butt replied that “you either break your shin or you play”, questioning the lack of shinpads.

With the Red Devils under scrutiny as the international break approaches, the club faces pressure to resolve its No.9 dilemma and shore up a back four that has been described as a massive problem.