Manchester United’s early exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Grimsby Town last season remains a vivid memory for many supporters. That defeat has become almost emblematic of the period when former head coach Rubén Amorim was in charge, a night that will be recalled as one of the club’s low points.
While Wednesday’s home loss to Brighton may not carry the same historic weight, there are unsettling parallels for Michael Carrick, the manager who succeeded Amorim. Youri Tielemans, United’s captain during the Grimsby debacle, later confessed that once the team fell behind 2‑0, they essentially stopped competing.
A similar loss of belief was evident at Old Trafford after the first twenty minutes of the Brighton game. The visitors quickly seized control, and despite United’s attempts to revive the match by introducing Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, the Red Devils failed to make any meaningful impact. For Carrick, this lack of response is a cause for genuine concern.
Since his return to the club in January, Carrick has endured a handful of defeats, yet he has consistently defended his squad and highlighted any positive aspects of their performances. Against Brighton, however, there was little to celebrate. The manager’s usual optimism was conspicuously absent, and the team’s inability to turn the tide was stark. When Carrick and his backroom staff first took over, they were lauded for tightening the defensive shape.
The side produced impressive victories over rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, thanks in large part to the contributions of defensive stalwarts such as Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans. Those early results suggested a promising new direction. Nevertheless, the current season has exposed lingering weaknesses. United have now conceded two goals in three of their four Premier League fixtures, and the Brighton defeat highlighted defensive frailties once again.
While one of the goals was a clear mistake by goalkeeper Karl Darlow, the broader issue lay in the lack of cohesion among the back four. The defensive unit appeared disjointed, with poor communication and positioning that left gaps for opponents to exploit.
One of the most pressing concerns for Carrick is the left‑back position. Although he has not publicly singled out this area as a critical weakness, it is evident that United are struggling to find a reliable solution.
Luke Shaw, the club’s senior left‑back, has missed the last three matches due to a minor injury. Given his age and a history of recurring niggles—despite an impressive availability record last season—it was arguably short‑sighted not to reinforce that spot during the summer transfer window.
Carrick experimented with Noussair Mazraoui in the role, but the Moroccan’s standing in the pecking order seems to have slipped, as the less experienced Patrick Dorgu was preferred for the Manchester derby that also ended in defeat. Meanwhile, the young prospect Harry Amass does not appear to be in the manager’s long‑term plans for the position.
This leaves United with a pressing question: how will they address the left‑back deficiency for the remainder of the campaign? It may seem premature to question Carrick’s job security after only a few weeks of the new season, especially since the team still holds the highest points total of any side since his return in January. Yet the manager himself has acknowledged that moments such as Ainsley Maitland‑Niles’ equaliser for Everton, a contentious VAR decision against Manchester City, and the recent collapse versus Brighton have altered the narrative around United’s progress.
Should United suffer another defeat—such as a potential loss to Fulham on Sunday, broadcast live on Sky Sports—there will inevitably be uncomfortable debates about whether Carrick can guide the club out of the current storm. While those discussions may be reserved for a later date, the manager deserves some empathy given the constraints he faces. The summer transfer window was marked by a lack of significant outgoings, limiting United’s ability to strengthen the squad comprehensively.
Nevertheless, this does not excuse the club from addressing key areas of weakness. The left‑back spot, as previously noted, should have been a priority.
Additionally, with Benjamin Šeško nursing a shin injury throughout the summer, United might have benefited from acquiring a temporary No 9 to share the burden with the likes of Mbeumo and Cunha, both of whom have struggled to recapture the form they displayed under Carrick’s guidance last season. Until United can execute a more thorough overhaul—something that may require more than a single transfer window—they are likely to remain stuck in a pattern of incremental upgrades using players left over from previous regimes. This cyclical approach may explain the boos that echoed around Old Trafford after the Brighton loss, not only directed at the performance itself but also at the familiar feeling of a promising start under a new manager being followed by a return to mediocrity. It is still early days, and Carrick deserves the time to prove his worth after delivering a respectable campaign last season.
However, the challenges he now faces are real: he must navigate a squad with defensive inconsistencies, a thin left‑back department, and limited depth in attack. If he can halt the downward spiral—perhaps even without an immediate win against Fulham, but by delivering a convincing performance—there may be enough breathing room for him to steer Manchester United back onto a more stable and successful course.