Manchester United's Trust Issues: Carrick's Squad Under Pressure
“It puts a bit of pressure on United. They've got City next week and European games starting in midweek.”
Gary Neville’s warning after Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Everton hung in the air like a storm cloud over Old Trafford. It is only September. It already feels like something more. For Michael Carrick, this week is not just busy. It is dangerous.
Easy start on paper, brutal reality on grass
When the 2026/27 Premier League fixtures dropped, the numbers were kind to United. Statistically, they had the softest opening six games in the division. A launchpad. A chance to bank points and calm nerves.
Halfway through that run, they have done the opposite. They have dropped more points than they have collected. The “easy start” has vanished. The table does not care about algorithms.
Now comes the hard part. The schedule tightens, the stakes rise. On Thursday, United open their Champions League campaign against Azerbaijan champions Sabah. Three days later, the first Manchester derby of the season.
Two very different opponents. One big question: how much can Carrick really trust his squad?
Big squad, small margin for error
On the surface, the numbers say United are well stocked. Transfermarkt lists them as having the second biggest squad in the Premier League. That should scream depth. It doesn’t.
The problem is not volume. It is balance.
United are stacked in attacking areas. Forwards everywhere. Options, variety, competition. But step back into midfield and defence, and the picture changes. They rank eighth in midfield depth, 10th in defence. Drill down further and it gets starker: ninth for right-backs, 18th for left-backs.
Left-back has become a recurring headache, constantly revisited because of Luke Shaw’s injury history. United knew the risk. They chose to roll the dice.
The numbers tell another uncomfortable story. Since 2022, only Everton and Liverpool have invested less in their backline. For a club that has spent more than anyone else in net terms over that period, that is a damning imbalance.
A £1bn rebuild, still short of real competition
United’s spending since 2022 has been enormous. No Premier League club has a higher net outlay. Yet the squad still feels fragile, especially once you move beyond the first-choice XI.
The gap in quality between the starters and the supporting cast is obvious. Carrick’s core players carry the load. When he turns to the bench, the team’s level too often drops.
The Everton game laid it bare. Carrick waited until the 70th minute to make his first substitutions. From that point, United’s profile on the pitch shifted.
They spent more time in Everton’s half, but with less bite. More possession, fewer meaningful passes in the final third. The chances dried up. They engaged in fewer duels, ceded more territory, invited more pressure. Everton grew, United shrank.
Context matters, of course. Everton were chasing the game. The final 20 minutes rarely mirror the first 70. But the pattern still matters. When Carrick turned to his fringe players, they did not give him enough.
Benjamin Sesko is the clear exception, a genuine impact substitute who changes games. One player is not enough to carry an entire bench.
The same trend shows up against Hull. On paper, United’s numbers improved after the changes in that game. But look closer. Four of the starting XI that day were dropped for the next two matches. That Hull line-up was a compromise, shaped by fitness issues and early-season conditioning. The substitutions simply moved United closer to the side Carrick actually trusts.
That is the crux. Even when he changes fewer than half his team, performance drops. The second string is not pushing the first string. It is dragging the level down.
Thursday night auditions
All of which brings the focus to Thursday and Sabah. On reputation, United should handle the Azerbaijani champions. On current evidence, nothing can be taken for granted.
For players like Leny Yoro, Patrick Dorgu, Andrey Santos and Joshua Zirkzee, this is not just another group-stage tie. It is an audition under floodlights.
They will all want the derby. Every player does. But they may have to earn that by delivering in Europe first. A convincing performance on Thursday would ease the tension, calm the noise, and give Carrick more than 11 players he can truly rely on.
Fail, and the scrutiny sharpens. The narrative writes itself: a bloated, expensively assembled squad that cannot handle three games a week, overly reliant on the same faces, creaking every time the bench is used.
Neville spoke about Carrick needing to win the trust of the fans. He is not alone. The squad players, the nearly-men, need that trust too.
Champions League nights at Old Trafford used to be about statements of power. On Thursday, the statement United make might be far simpler: do they actually have a squad capable of living with what this season is about to throw at them?
