Same old story at Manchester United as Michael Carrick feels the heat after five points from five games

Statistically, Manchester United had the easiest start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign. Five points from five games later, it feels like the Red Devils have turned the clock back a year — and Michael Carrick is already feeling the heat at Old Trafford.

From beating City to a shell

Carrick's reign began with an incredible level of intensity when his side beat Manchester City. Compared to now, United look like a shell of that team — constantly outrun and outfought.

Having only strengthened in the midfield over the summer, the defence looks out of date and vulnerable, conceding fewer than two goals in the Premier League just once. And while their attacking overhaul in the summer of 2025 made them look a threat, they now appear disjointed.

Injuries, Rashford and the JJ Gabriel standoff

Injuries to Amad Diallo and Benjamin Sesko have clearly hurt, while Marcus Rashford's reintegration has hardly led to on-field results.

As if that's not bad enough, United are also being held to ransom by 15-year-old wonderkid JJ Gabriel, with reports suggesting the teenager's representatives want him to be allowed to leave because the club have fallen behind other European giants.

When will the rerun end?

Carrick was part of the backroom staff when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt similar pressure at Old Trafford. Five years on, the story is the same: a cult hero returns on an interim basis, does the job asked of him, is given the keys to Old Trafford — and is almost immediately under scrutiny.

Before anything else, Carrick has to ensure he doesn't hand another one of his former clubs their first Premier League win when United host bottom-of-the-table Tottenham after the international break. Lose, and it's anyone's guess where things go.