Michael Carrick Left to Struggle After Manchester United Transfer Failures

A Difficult Start at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick is facing a massive challenge at Manchester United. After helping the club qualify for the Champions League last season, he was given a two year contract with an option for an extra year. However, the team has started the season poorly.

A recent 1-1 draw against Fulham, where Matheus Cunha scored an equalizer in the 89th minute, left United with just five points from their opening five matches. This matches their worst ever start to a Premier League season. The pressure is growing on Carrick, who only has limited managerial experience after a previous spell at Middlesbrough.

Transfer Market Frustrations

Much of the trouble stems from a difficult summer transfer window. Carrick wanted to rebuild his midfield after Casemiro left for Inter Miami and Manuel Ugarte got injured. His main targets were Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes.

Instead, Anderson joined Manchester City for 116 million pounds and Fernandes went to Tottenham for 85 million pounds. United also looked at Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes but decided they were too expensive.

United ended up spending 150 million pounds in total. They bought Youri Tielemans for 35 million pounds, Andrey Santos for 48 million pounds, and Carlos Baleba for 65 million pounds. Baleba arrived with an ankle injury and has not played yet. This spending was far less than their rivals. Even promoted clubs like Ipswich and Hull City spent more than United did.

A Squad in Need of Help

The squad is currently short on quality and depth. Carrick wanted a new left back to support 31 year old Luke Shaw, but no one arrived. There is no real competition for Shaw or Diogo Dalot. The team has only two fit, experienced center backs in Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.

The attack is also struggling. Marcus Rashford has returned from an 18 month loan spell at Aston Villa and Barcelona, but he has no goals or assists in five games.

United has one of the oldest squads in the league, with an average starting age of 28.3 years. The club hierarchy, led by CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, is trying to cut costs after years of big spending under the Glazer family. However, this financial restriction has left Carrick with a squad that is simply not equipped to succeed.