Rio Ferdinand Challenges Michael Carrick to Revamp Manchester United's Attack
Rio Ferdinand has laid down a clear challenge to Michael Carrick: change the attack, or watch Manchester United’s season drift.
United limp into the international break with five points from five Premier League games, marooned in 12th after a laboured draw at Fulham and already dumped out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle for the second year running. Three weeks now stretch in front of Carrick – three weeks of questions, video sessions and uncomfortable truths.
One of those truths is brutal. United aren’t running.
Numbers from the opening month paint a damning picture of their work without the ball. In the Premier League this season they rank 20th for distance covered at high intensity, 20th for time spent at high intensity, 20th for sprints, 20th for time spent sprinting and 17th for percentage of time walking out of possession. For a club that once suffocated teams with relentless energy, it is a stark fall.
Ferdinand, watching on, believes part of the answer lies in shaking up the front line and giving defenders a different problem.
The former United captain wants Marcus Rashford restored to the centre-forward role, operating through the middle, with Matheus Cunha shifted out to the left. Carrick has so far persisted with Cunha as a No.9, a role that doesn’t quite fit his natural game, while Rashford has been used from wider areas since his reintegration into the squad over the summer.
The returns have been underwhelming. Rashford is still waiting for his first goal or assist of the campaign. Cunha, at least, finally opened his Premier League account for the season with a late equaliser at Craven Cottage, but the overall structure of the attack has looked blunt and predictable.
All this comes with a specialist striker watching from the sidelines. Benjamin Sesko, an out-and-out centre-forward with a strong record under Carrick in all competitions, has yet to start a league match this season. His absence from the Premier League XI grows more puzzling with each misfiring performance.
For Ferdinand, the tweak is simple: Rashford’s pace and direct running down the middle to stretch defences, Cunha drifting in off the left where he can link play and drive at full-backs, and, by extension, a United front line that finally asks questions rather than answering them.
The timing could hardly be more critical. Next up after the break is Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on October 10, a Spurs side still searching for their first win of the campaign. On paper, it looks like an opportunity. In reality, with United’s pressing numbers on the floor and their attack misfiring, it feels like a crossroads.
Carrick has three weeks to decide whether he trusts his current blueprint, or whether he listens to a former team-mate who knows exactly what a ruthless Manchester United attack should look like.
