Manchester United are willing to enter the transfer market in January to plug the gaps in an ailing, injury-hit squad, with Michael Carrick's future set to be decided by the next three fixtures.
A squad built with holes in it
The problem, as The Times reported on Friday, was made in the summer. United focused entirely on recruiting three midfielders — Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba — and left Carrick short of a reserve left-back and a striker. Injuries have now exposed that imbalance in the harshest way.
United travel to Chelsea on Saturday without Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, who are likely to be out until after the international break. Benjamin Sesko, Manuel Ugarte and Patrick Dorgu are sidelined with long-term injuries, and Kobbie Mainoo has only just returned from a four-match layoff.
Sesko's absence is the heaviest blow. The Slovenian suffered a shin injury in May, missed pre-season, appeared six times at the start of the campaign and must now undergo further treatment that rules him out for at least two months — until January. In his place, winger Bryan Mbeumo has been playing up front, a compliment to Mbeumo's versatility and an indictment of the squad planning. At left-back, Shaw's most recent appearance — only his fifth this season — came three weeks ago in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham, and his designated replacement Dorgu has a hamstring injury that keeps him out until after the break.
The club are now willing to rectify the summer's mistakes in January, with at least one signing on the cards should the right player become available. Despite being £1.15bn in debt, United can dip into their revolving credit facility to finance signings. One reported option at left-back, via Sports Mole, is a surprise move for Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri, valued at around £30m and yet to feature in the Premier League this season — a measure of how urgently United need cover in that position. Up front, their reported interest in a striker has already hit one obstacle, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin committing his future to Leeds.
Three games to save Carrick
Whether Carrick is still in charge to spend that money will depend largely on the next three fixtures — Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa. He is under serious threat after eight matches without a win in all competitions, a run that includes a 4-1 humiliation by Como in the Champions League and a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth.
Carrick has held clear-the-air talks with the players this week. "It's not always rosy and nice conversations," he said. "It's the hard truth at times and it's what we need to move forward." He rejected Gary Neville's suggestion that some of the squad are unprofessional, and insisted confidence can return quickly: "It can come back sharpish... in one moment, one thing in a game, one win, one result. We need something to flip for everyone."
He was also keen to close any wedge between himself and the dressing room after Bournemouth fans applauded him into the tunnel and then booed the players. "That's my group, they're my players and this is my football club," he said. "We're all in it together."
So what?
January can fix the depth chart; it cannot fix the next three games. Carrick must get through Chelsea, Roma and Villa with a winger at centre-forward, no fit senior left-back and a squad whose confidence, by his own admission, has plummeted. If United are still winless after that run, the January budget may be spent by a different manager — and the targets may change with him.
The deeper lesson is about recruitment balance. Signing three midfielders in one summer while carrying a striker with a known shin problem and a left-back with Shaw's injury history was a gamble that has failed within three months. A reserve striker and a reserve left-back are not glamorous signings, but their absence is now defining United's season.
Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: United do not just have an injury crisis — they have a planning crisis that injuries have exposed. January spending is necessary, but it is also an admission: the summer window built a squad that could not survive its first bad month. Carrick deserves sympathy for the hand he was dealt, but sympathy does not win at Stamford Bridge. Will he still be in charge when the window opens? Let us know in the comments.
