The problems at Manchester United have continued to mount, with Michael Carrick struggling to find a way out of a damaging run of results.

United have gone nine matches without a victory in all competitions, their longest winless sequence since 1984, leaving them with just seven points from their opening nine Premier League fixtures.

Heavy defeats have exposed familiar weaknesses, including the 4-1 Champions League loss to Como and the 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth.

Their latest setback came at Stamford Bridge, where a 2-0 loss to Chelsea further increased the pressure on Carrick and his players.

The club are now sitting 17th in the league, level on points with the relegation zone, a position that would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the season.

With United’s struggles extending beyond individual performances, questions are growing over the club’s ability to retain its most influential players.

Saudi Arabian giants set to submit January bid for Bruno Fernandes

Those concerns have now been brought into focus by reports that Al-Hilal are preparing another attempt to sign United captain Bruno Fernandes.

Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb claims the Saudi Pro League side could offer as much as €55 million (£45 million) to secure the midfielder in January, with renewal discussions at Old Trafford reportedly stalled.

It would not be the first time Al-Hilal have tried to tempt Bruno Fernandes away from United.

Last year, the club prepared a package worth around £100m for United and wages that could have reached £700,000 per week.

Fernandes ultimately rejected the proposal after discussing his future with his family and then-manager Ruben Amorim.

At the time, Fernandes made it clear that financial incentives were not enough to convince him to leave English football.

“I want to play at the highest possible level. I want to play major competitions. I know I still can and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most,” he explained.

However, his feelings about the club’s stance appeared to change later that year.

In an interview with Portuguese broadcaster Canal 11, Fernandes said he felt United would have been willing to let him go if he had accepted the offer.

“From the club I felt it was, ‘If you go it’s not so bad for us’. It hurts me a bit,” he said.

Al-Hilal are not the only side monitoring developments.

AC Milan have reportedly been following Fernandes’ situation, with Amorim said to be interested in a reunion with his former captain.

The midfielder’s relationship with Carrick also came under scrutiny after he questioned United’s approach following the Como defeat and was subsequently left unused on the bench against Bournemouth.

The pair held clear-the-air talks before the Chelsea fixture, with Fernandes returning to the starting line-up.

There is no confirmation that United have received an offer or that Fernandes wants to leave.

But with Al-Hilal reportedly preparing another approach, the captain’s future is becoming an increasingly important issue at Old Trafford.