Carrick should drop the Man Utd star who has fewer touches than Lammens and Sesko

0 0 3 minutes read

Carrick should drop the Man Utd star who has fewer touches than Lammens and Sesko

Much of Manchester United’s post-match post-mortem has focused on Lisandro Martinez’s controversial dismissal, although that tells only half the story amid a frustrating night for Michael Carrick’s men at Old Trafford.

Apart from two emerging players in the World Cup, which are Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo, the athletes faced the sea right from the start against a lively Leeds United team, failing to make the most of the three-week break without playing.

It was panic stations in that first half, especially, as the visitors raced into a two-goal lead, before the man Martinez pulled his team out of trouble after denying Ao Tanaka on goal.

There was a fierce battle after Argentina’s red card, as Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes reunited, but the Red Devils were eventually left empty-handed, having now won just one of their last four under Carrick’s watch.

Carrick’s worst night as Manchester United manager

There shouldn’t be any overreaction about Carrick’s long-term future following Monday’s defeat, as the England international has done an impressive job to get the club to third place, especially given the current state of the squad.

The former United midfielder is still very short in depth, although where he can be blamed is his selection decisions, including insisting on the hapless Manuel Ugarte.

While losing Mainoo to injury may force his hand, Carrick should have found a different solution as United have now won one of the Uruguayan’s last ten starts, losing six of those.

Equally, the decision not to make a single change until the 70-minute mark remains a headache, even if the home side enjoyed a late revival, there was no immediate response from Carrick’s men after the break.

Indeed, it was a night when United could have almost sealed their Champions League finish by going ten points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea. Now, a loss to the Blues on Saturday night will see that gap reduced to just four.

Although Carrick has endured setbacks so far in 2026, including a ten-man loss to Newcastle United, this felt like his worst outing so far since returning to the dugout.

Something has to change.

Carrick needs to shake up his forward line at Stamford Bridge

After the Grand National weekend, United slowed down in the first line against Daniel Farke’s men, the defenders between Martinez and Leny Yoro were never the same as Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Noussair Mazraoui, who was brought back into the starting line-up in place of Diogo Dalot, was responsible at right-back, although the defense did not enjoy the protection of the aforementioned Ugarte.

To say that the defense is the only concern would be a mistake, however, the changes in Carrick’s selection in the forward line are also regressive in a sense, including the decision to select Amad over Bryan Mbeumo.

FFC Player Ratings for Man Utd
The player	Average
GK – Lammens	7/10
RB – Mazraoui	4/10
CB-Yoro	4/10
CB – Martinez	3/10
LB – Shaw	7/10
CM – Casemiro	7/10
CM – Ugarte	4/10
RM – Mad	5/10
AM – Fernandes	6/10
LM – It’s a dog	5/10
ST – Sesko	5/10

That change of strategy was unreal, considering Mbeumo’s decline of late, although Amad’s lack of production is growing concern on the right side.

Set to turn 24 in July, the Ivory Coast international is no longer a child prodigy, no longer a ‘strong’ player. After a superb 2024/25 campaign that saw him score 16 goals and assists in the Premier League, and 21 in all competitions, the current season has been something of a setback.

Now, it must be said, the former man of Atalanta was as active as he always was on Monday night, registering two shots in total, although he gave little in terms of creativity, failing to provide one key pass or effective dribble, while also failing to register one completed cross.

In total, the 23-year-old’s 70-minute outing saw him touch 25 people, a poor return considering he was much younger than fellow striker Benjamin Sesko (27), who was also behind goalkeeper Senne Lammens (33) in that too.

Where the combination of Amad and Mbeumo looked like United’s biggest threat under Ruben Amorim, it now appears to be a case of either, leaving the youngster at risk of finding himself out of the starting line-up again this weekend.

He is strong and direct, but a return of just two goals and two assists in the Premier League this season is simply not the same for the Old Trafford striker.