# Reality Check: Just One Win in Five for Carrick’s Reds

Look, nobody expected miracles when Michael Carrick took the reins permanently in May, but one win from five league matches? That’s simply not good enough for a club of our stature.

The international break gave us all time to reflect, and the reflection isn’t pretty. We’ve got quality throughout this squad. Benjamin Šeško, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have had a full season to gel up front. Bruno Fernandes remains our captain and creative heartbeat. We’ve added serious depth in midfield with Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arriving to strengthen alongside Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo. The defensive options are there with Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez and the highly-rated Leny Yoro.

So what’s going wrong?

Carrick deserves patience. He’s a United legend who knows this club inside out, and Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox clearly backed him for good reason. But patience doesn’t mean blind faith. One win in five is relegation form, not Champions League form, and yes, we’re back in the Champions League this season where results matter even more.

The tactical setup needs scrutiny. Are we getting the best out of our attacking talent? Is Karl Darlow, our first-choice keeper following Onana’s loan move to Trabzonspor, commanding his area properly? Are the new signings settling in quickly enough?

Carrick’s keeping his cool publicly, typical of the composed midfielder we all loved. But internally, INEOS will be watching closely. They didn’t invest heavily to watch us languish in mid-table mediocrity.

The Carabao Cup clash against Brighton on 16 September offers a chance to build momentum, but it’s the league form that desperately needs addressing. We’ve got the squad depth, we’ve got the talent. Now we need the results. Come on United, it’s time to turn this around.

✍️ This summary was written by the MUFC Fanatics SA team based on reporting from BBC Sport.

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