Boos rang out at Old Trafford after Manchester United's disappointing 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, following a three-week Premier League pause for the international break.

After a poor start to the season, that break was seen as a chance for Michael Carrick's side to reset and push on, but instead it was more of the same as United once again failed to beat a side that was reduced to ten men.

The criticism levied against this Manchester United side once again focused on its perceived lack of effort and running, as in several games already this season.

Manchester United now face a quick turnaround, as they travel to Madrid to face Atletico Madrid on the 13th of October, before taking the trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on the 18th of October.

This season, Manchester United have been outrun by every side they have faced, except one, with Carrick's side sitting 16th in the league for total distance run and 20th for high-speed running.

While those statistics look damning on paper, it's easy to exaggerate how important running statistics are: Fulham, who are bottom of the league, sit second in distance run, while Manchester City sit 18th, below Manchester United.

Speaking on Match of the Day, legendary United forward Wayne Rooney explained that former boss Jose Mourinho has the perfect blueprint for Michael Carrick to follow to get the best out of his side.

“I think in a lot of the games they’ve been happy to go into a mid-block, and then what that means, if you think of Jose Mourinho with his Chelsea team, the first time around, his team were very much a mid-block team.

“But when the ball got moved from side to side, they were aggressive, and they got up to the ball, and they got in your face and made it very difficult — and they were horrible to play against. Where I think with Manchester United right now, they’re in that mid-block, but they’re just not getting up to the ball. So, they are quite passive.”

“So, you want the players to go and get in the opposition’s faces, but they’re not, so they’re not very difficult to play against,” Rooney added.

“So, it’s not that the players aren’t running; they just haven’t got that aggression, and they’re not getting up to the ball as Michael Carrick would probably like. So, I think they’re just stuck.

“They need to get out of that because if they don’t get out of it, teams will be going to Old Trafford or playing against Manchester United thinking, ‘You know what, if we do keep the ball and then change that tempo, we can get at them."

The result against Tottenham Hotspur means Manchester United have slumped to their worst league start in 40 years, with Michael Carrick's side sitting in 13th place on six points from one win, three draws and two losses.

Manchester United face a packed October schedule, with five games before the end of the month in both the Premier League and Champions League, in what is shaping up to be a crucial few weeks for Michael Carrick's job security.

One of the most glaring issues on display against Spurs was how easily the away side was getting through Manchester United's midfield, as the pairing of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans clearly didn't work, and they were frequently dispossessed.

One positive the Manchester United faithful can take from the draw is the impact Carlos Baleba had in his 30-minute cameo, finally making his debut after recovering from injury.

The Cameroonian, signed for his defensive capabilities, showed that he can also contribute going forward, playing several good long balls, and was the only United player to create a big chance on the day.

While all reports indicate that INEOS will back Michael Carrick to turn things around at the club, if results continue to disappoint, the former United midfielder will face the sack.