Manchester United have endured a disastrous start to their 2026/27 campaign, with Michael Carrick's side languishing in 17th place in the Premier League, having recorded just one win, four draws and four defeats from their opening nine matches.

Their struggles have extended beyond the league, too. United have already been eliminated from the EFL Cup after throwing away a two-goal lead against Brighton at Old Trafford, and they currently sit 20th in the Champions League league phase, having secured just one win from their first three fixtures.

Although the squad's overall performances have fallen well below expectations, Bruno Fernandes' struggles have been particularly noticeable, with the midfielder's lack of impact closely mirroring United's disappointing form.

Both of United's victories this season have coincided with Fernandes registering either a goal or an assist, highlighting just how influential the Portuguese international remains to the side's attacking fortunes. The 32-year-old was left out of the starting XI against Bournemouth after publicly criticising Carrick's tactics, but returned for the clash with Chelsea on October 31. However, despite flashes of quality, Fernandes had an inconsistent afternoon as United slipped to a 2-0 defeat.

Lennart Karl has quickly become one of Europe's most exciting young talents, breaking into Bayern Munich's first-team squad in early 2025 and making 52 appearances in all competitions so far in his fledgling career.

Despite his immense talent, there is rumoured tension between Karl and the club, as Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness questioned the 18-year-old's activity on social media, suggesting he still had a long way to go before he could become a superstar, raising some doubts over his future at the German giants.

As reported by Bild journalist, Christian Falk for CF Bayern Insider, these kinds of comments from Hoeness are nothing new, and has made similar comments in the past about Munich legends such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, and emphasised that he is not involved in the daily business of the club.

The journalist also stated that the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are keeping close eyes on what's going on in Germany, and with Karl having a £50 million valuation, there is a possibility that a Premier League club could test the waters in the summer with a bid for the highly-rated 18-year-old.

Those within the club have made it clear that they have no intention of letting a talent as big as Karl slip through their fingers, and with his contract running until 2029, the club aren't under much pressure to sell their gem.

The 18-year-old is represented by German legend Michael Ballack, and the 50-year-old didn't hold back about his criticism towards Hoeness.

He told DAZN, "You must not conflate that Karl’s public appearance with his sporting development, and that’s exactly what FC Bayern are doing.

“It’s legitimate for Uli Hoeness to criticise this public appearance.

“But it is also clear that he is publicly making Lennart a target.

“Max Eberl now says that Lennart is going through a difficult spell, accompanied by a catalogue of missteps, when Lennart’s performances are clearly on the rise again, is incomprehensible given the timing and, at the very least, deserves to be questioned.”