As Dominic Solanke let the ball bump off his head and bounce into the bottom corner every Manchester United player was standing still. Michael Carrick didn’t move, either. The stadium itself seemed to freeze.
Was it shellshock? That is usually the case when it comes to impending Manchester United crises but the more alarming reality this time around was that it felt like something closer to ennui, or at least resignation to the inevitable.
Man Utd struggling isn’t news anymore. It is starting to feel as though everyone is going through the motions, from the listless and tactically wayward performances of the players to the pundit class reacting in a kind of mock frustration. There was a time when a Gary Neville monologue was box office. Now it is faintly boring; background music for a Premier League too entrenched in its own existential crisis to really register what’s going on at Old Trafford.
Man Utd have now endured their worst start to a season since 1986/87. They have failed to win five of their six matches, the same total Carrick reached in 17 Premier League games in 2025/26. But even those stark numbers don’t elicit the usual anger (or schadenfreude, depending on your allegiance).
That will not hold for much longer. This is the calm before a fresh storm, or rather the ambient choppy waters that have become so ingrained in the Man Utd culture they barely register. But another huge wave is coming.
And it’s coming this week.
There were 128 days between Carrick’s first game in charge and the final game of the campaign, a 17-match run in a single competition. On average, United played a game every 7.5 days.
Next Premier League manager to leave odds (via Sky Bet)
- Michael Carrick - 2/1
- Alvaro Arbeloa - 5/2
- Roberto De Zerbi - 5/2
- Pierre Sage - 6/1
- Oliver Glasner - 7/1
- Frank Lampard - 9/1
- Enzo Maresca - 16/1
- 18/1 bar
Beginning with Saturday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and ending against Aston Villa on November 8, when the next international break begins, United play eight games in 30 days across two competitions – or once every 3.75 days.
On Sunday they should have been 4-0 down before Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card in what was one of their worst performances of the season despite coming fresh after a three-week break. Already they are playing without purpose or energy. Already the midfield is a void, the tactical patterns non-existent. And the real challenge of this season – playing twice a week – is only just about to start.
If this was a clip from the Bundesliga it'd have 50k likes. pic.twitter.com/23QX4zKhlM
— Marc Geschwind (@MarcGeschwind) October 10, 2026
“What we are seeing at the moment is a team that looks like they are curling up in a ball and the club, for some of them right now, is getting a bit big for them,” was Neville’s damning assessment on his podcast. His evergreen critique may be increasingly wearisome but it remains the best bell weather for the mood around Old Trafford.
That is a diabolical state of affairs before a midweek trip to Atletico Madrid that kicks off an extremely busy period, starting with three consecutive away games in a ten game period, against Atleti, Leeds, and Como. Playing as United have been, not one of those matches looks winnable.
And it isn’t just the style of play. Michael Carrick looked close to broken at the final whistle, already dragged into the abyss despite such an impressive opening half-season at the helm. It is difficult to envisage Carrick navigating the first ultra-marathon of the campaign, not on the evidence of his tactical acumen or his body language.
Man Utd have played eight games in all competitions this season. They have won two of them, beating Ipswich Town and Sabah FK. This should be reason enough for mutiny, yet there just hasn’t been news capacity for another Man Utd crisis, allowing Carrick and his players to drift under the radar to this point.
That is about to change. This week or next, the heavens will open.
Odds correct at 12:20 BST (12/10/26)
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