As injuries ravage Old Trafford, the imminent returns of Matthijs de Ligt and new signing Carlos Baleba promise to stabilise a defence in crisis and spark a stagnant midfield.
Who is Kobbie Mainoo's best midfield partner?
Manchester United are seven games into the 2026/27 campaign, but with just two wins across all competitions, the Reds have endured a disappointing start to the season.
United opened their Premier League campaign with a defeat to Hull City before responding with a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, inspired by a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick. A 4-0 victory over Sabah FK followed in the Champions League, but that remains one of just two wins this season.
A 2-2 draw with Everton was followed by back-to-back home defeats against Manchester City and Brighton. The Brighton defeat was particularly damaging, with United throwing away a 2-0 lead before being knocked out of the Carabao Cup.
Michael Carrick's side then headed into the international break with another draw, this time a 1-1 stalemate against Fulham, who are still without a league win. Matheus Cunha's late equaliser rescued a point after Lisandro Martínez's comical own goal had put the hosts ahead.
What is Carrick's best XI?
United fans will be hoping for improved performance from United once the side returns to action, with the next five fixtures comprising Tottenham Hotspur (H), Atletico Madrid (A), Leeds United (A), Como (A), and Bournemouth (H) across the league and Europe.
It's expected that pretty much the entire squad will be used across the five fixtures, but who United's best XI will be for the time the Tottenham game hits Old Trafford is an interesting question.
There is no doubt that it would be Senne Lammens in goal. Karl Darlow is United's new second-choice goalkeeper, but his performance against Brighton was hardly one that inspired confidence.
In defence, where United have several problems, United's best available back line is probably the combination of Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, and Luke Shaw. This is the same back line that United fielded in 2022, which is a worry in itself.
However, it's unlikely that this will remain once everyone is fit. Matthijs de Ligt, who has not played in just under 11 months, was a brilliant partner with Martínez at centre-back before his back injury and will probably replace Maguire once he returns next month.
In midfield, another change may be coming once domestic football returns. New signing Youri Tielemans has started all seven competitive fixtures under Carrick this season, but may find himself on the bench in the coming games.
Carlos Baleba was signed from Brighton last month for an initial £65 million fee, had not been able to appear this season due to an ankle injury, but was an unused substitute on United's bench for the draw against Fulham.
Baleba, an all-action defensive midfielder with a high top speed and plenty of energy, is the perfect partner for Kobbie Mainoo, who has started the season well. If Baleba can reach full fitness over the course of the international break, both could start against Spurs.
Ahead of them, despite a poor start to the season, will remain Bruno Fernandes, the side's first-choice attacking midfielder, chief creator, and captain.
In the front three, there will almost certainly be some shuffles, although this will depend on injuries. Benjamin Šeško missed the tie against Fulham due to a shin issue and may not be available for selection as Carrick looks to name the starting XI against Tottenham.
In that case, it's good that Amad looks due to return once the international break is over. The Ivorian winger was ruled out for around six weeks toward the beginning of last month, and if he returns on schedule, he could be able to return on the right flank.
This would finally allow Carrick to return Bryan Mbeumo to the striker position, where he played brilliantly during pre-season before having to move to the right when Amad suffered his injury before the loss against Hull.
It's been Matheus Cunha who has played most games up front in the absence of Šeško, but has looked poor through the middle. It is no surprise that the Brazilian immediately scored upon returning to the left against Fulham, given how good he was there last campaign.
The returns of De Ligt, Baleba, and Amad to action, all of whom have not played so far this season, could hand United much-needed energy and competitive edge to the starting XI once the international break is over and domestic football returns.
