Manchester United have struggled in the early stages of the 2026/27 campaign and several players at Old Trafford have struggled to recapture their form of last season.
Manchester United have just five points from their first five Premier League games this season, with their only win coming against newly promoted Ipswich Town.
The Reds ended last term in third after being the in-form team across the division throughout the second half of the season.
The only player who has left the club since then is Casemiro, and while he was an important part of Carrick's team, others have underperformed in the opening games.
One change the new head coach has made is the decision to use Matheus Cunha as the centre-forward, rather than Bryan Mbeumo or Benjamin Sesko.
It is a decision that has not only seemed to negatively impact the team, but also the Brazilian forward, who has struggled to find form in these first few weeks of the season.
Butt not impressed with Cunha up front
Cunha, 27, was most regularly used from the left flank under Carrick last season and while there were sometimes issues about him drifting too far centrally, it worked best for the player.
The ex-Wolves man looks to drift around and drive at defences when he has the ball. That is most affective when he has a centre-forward to link with, or distract the opposition backline.
As a striker, Cunha's record under Carrick is underwhelming, with just two wins from the seven games he's started through the middle. There has been three draws and two defeats.
In comparison, Mbeumo's record as United's starting striker under Carrick remains seven wins and one draw, with no losses. This decision has led former United midfielder Nicky Butt to criticise Carrick's decision to play Cunha in that position.
"Playing Cunha as a nine kills him. He’s nowhere near the player he is off the side," Butt said on the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and The Football.
"We haven’t got a No.9 other than Sesko other than [Joshua] Zirkzee, but he’s been going, staying, going, staying. And when he does come on, he doesn’t look anywhere near a Manchester United No.9."
Who should be United's striker options?
Benjamin Sesko is the obvious option when people speak about who should start upfront in place of Cunha but we have seen Carrick's best periods come with Mbeumo in that position.
In reality, the central role should be shared between those two, while Cunha returns to the left and battles Marcus Rashford for a place in the team.
That was likely the plan Carrick had coming into the season but he tried to adapt when Amad suffered an injury before the season-opening weekend.
The problem is that his adjustments have made things worse, and he could have attempted to use Cunha or Rashford from the right, or even trust the young Shea Lacey.
After the international break ends, United need to get back to winning ways and it would not be a surprise if Carrick reverted to what worked for him last term in the frontline with Cunha and Amad flanking Mbeumo once again.
