Manchester United host Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, and Michael Carrick's side will be looking to put an end to their seven-game winless run.

United have not won a game since 10 September, when they defeated Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League.

Since then, United have managed three draws and four defeats, and the performances have also not provided much reason for optimism. 

The performance against Leeds at Elland Road was one of United's better performances over this seven-game winless spell. Carrick would have hoped to build on that in Italy midweek, but United produced a performance in Como that was nothing short of disgraceful.

Bournemouth travel to Old Trafford high on confidence after three wins in their last three games, including a 3-0 victory against Ruben Amorim's AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday. They currently sit 17th in the Premier League, but have had a difficult set of fixtures. They have already faced Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's game, Carrick said that he still trusted his players and that he expected his side to produce a much better performance on Sunday than they did in Como.

"I definitely trust them, yeah, 100% I trust them. It wasn’t a very good night at all for us, for so many reasons; we all know that," Carrick explained.

“We’ll be a different team on Sunday. We haveto be a different team on Sunday."  

It is looking increasingly difficult for Carrick to turn things around at United. It feels like it is only a matter of time until United decide to part ways with the 45-year-old, with the club reportedly assessing several managers who could replace him.

It is quite difficult to understand how United have gone from winning as many games as they did in the second half of last season to only winning twice in their first 11 games this season.

Carrick has made several mistakes, and he, as well as the players, needs to do better. However, it should not be overlooked that Carrick was let down in the summer transfer window. 

United's decision not to sign either a left-back or a centre-forward when the club knew they needed an extra player in both positions is unacceptable.

United have made it clear they are working under strict financial restrictions, but they have set a goal of winning the Premier League by 2028. It can therefore be assumed that they believe they have sufficient funds to build a squad that can win the league by that time, but the gap to Arsenal and City only became bigger during the summer.

Carrick may not be the solution, but until their is change at the top of the club, United will continue to struggle.