“You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? I can’t say more. Tonight it is easy to say the coach, easy to say the players but also we have to see other areas.”

Those were Lisandro Martínez’s explosive words after Manchester United’s dismal 2–0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.

One day short of one month on, United have changed the manager, again.

Michael Carrick’s downfall has come as a surprise to absolutely nobody. United have won just one of their last 11 matches in all competitions. Their only Premier League victory of the 2026–27 came against newly promoted Ipswich back in August.

Going into the November international break, the club wallows in the relegation zone—the first time they have been in such a perilious position in the table this late into a season since the 1980s.

Something has to change and those in charge of soccer operations at the club have decided it is Carrick. Mauricio Pochettino is lined up as the next man to take on what has become soccer’s impossible job.

As Martínez identified while venting in anger, simply rolling the dice on a new manager is not going to fix all of United’s problems. The defender is far from the only one associated with the club to publicly express the systemic issues at Old Trafford, with one-time interim manager Ralf Ragnick famously declaring that the club needed “open-heart surgery” to survive back in 2022.

How Things Fell Apart

We can confirm Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach.

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 12, 2026

There were obvious green shoots when Carrick took charge back in January. He immediately led United to victories over Manchester City and Arsenal, with the Red Devils finishing the season third in the Premier League after winning 12 out of 17 matches.

The immediate difference to the Ruben Amorim’s limp reign was stark. No manager in the league earned more points than Carrick between Jan. 13 and the end of the campaign. With the team in such form and back in the Champions League, United couldn’t not make him the full-time manager.

But after a summer of optimism, all hope of a corner being turned and lessons being learned evaporated just weeks into the new season. Carrick’s team regularly looked unbalanced and critically lacking in key areas. Players that had temporarily raised their game, regressed. Old ghosts thought to have been vanquished, returned. United spiralled back to being a crisis club.

Questions were raised over the club’s approach to the transfer market—led by director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrarda under minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe—something directly addressed by Martínez after the Atlético Madrid defeat.

The defender told UK broadcaster Amazon Prime Video: “I expect more [investment]. 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox].

“I have to be honest, as players we have to do more but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”

He said what many had been thinking. In 2025–26, devoid of European soccer and facing early domestic cup exits, United played just 40 matches in total. Their strong end-of-season form in the Premier League was powered, in part, by having no other competitions acting as energy-sapping distractions. After getting back in the big time for 2026–27, it was clear that levelling up was required.

“Yes, of course [we need more players], it’s a very hard league and next year will be a hard [schedule]. You want to have people in there who can come in when it’s needed,” goalkeeper Lammens told reporters back in May.

“[...] Next season is going to be a lot.” 

Who Should Man Utd Have Targeted During the Summer?

Of course, not making enough signings in the summer window is not the sole reason United currently lie 18th in the Premier League, but is very clearly part of the problem.

Not including the free arrival of backup keeper Karl Darlow, Manchester United made just three first-team signings during the summer, all midfielders (Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans), for a collective total of $190 million.

It followed a pattern of targeting one particular area to strengthen per summer, with three forwards (Benjamin Šesko, Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha) arriving ahead of the 2025–26 season, along with keeper Lammens.

In isolation, none of Baleba, Santos or Tielemans were bad signings (though none have yet distinguished themselves either). The issue is that United continue to ignore, or at the very least postpone addressing, areas in the roster that require serious attention.

Left Back

United seemingly gambled that Luke Shaw’s fitness would hold out for the season, as it had for 2025–26. It was not a gamble likely to pay off.

The 31-year-old is a player of diminishing returns and when he is not available, United are left relying on a clutch of backup options who don’t specialize in playing on the left side of a back four.

Patrick Dorgu looks increasingly more comfortable further up the field, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have exhausted any goodwill as makeshift options.

An obvious long-term upgrade in Newcastle’s Lewis Hall was seemingly not pursued aggressively before he signed a contract extension in September, while another linked target in Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has been reduced to little more than a bench option in Spain and was a very gettable option.

Center Back

As at left back, United’s options have looked creaky and in need of a refresh for some time. Neglect in adding quality to the position has led to the Red Devils conceding as many or more goals (30) than every team in Europe’s big five leagues across all competitions so far this season, except Lens (31).

The miles in 33-year-old Harry Maguire’s legs have caught up with him, while Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt are both regularly absent with injury. The former’s form, too, has nosedived in recent months.

Young options Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven should not be relied upon as more than decent backups, at this stage of their careers.

Ezri Konsa ultimately joined champions Arsenal for $67 million this summer, but might’ve been tempted by the promise of United had they made a serious run at the England international early in the window. At the Emriates, Konsa will ultimately be forced to compete with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães in his preferred center back role in the long term.

At United, he would have arrived as the clear first-choice option.

Established Premier League operators like Brentford’s Nathan Collins and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite might also have been prized away from their clubs—albeit for serious money. Marcos Senesi, who joined Tottenham from Bournemouth, would have been free.

Left Wing

Antonio Nusa vs Man City 😮‍💨#UCL pic.twitter.com/fqSpYnDEY8

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 6, 2026

Michael Carrick previously alluded to left wing being a position that needed depth. The team is well stocked on the right flank, with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, but the opposite side is significantly weaker.

The returning Marcus Rashford has not scored or assisted in his eight appearances this season, while Cunha and Mason Mount are more natural in central roles.

RB Leipzig’s Norway international Antonio Nusa was already a known quantity before setting the Bundesliga alive this season with four goals and seven assists in nine appearances. No player is untouchable at Leipzig, who are famed for building up young talents and selling them on. Recent reports suggest that, while the winger has no release clause in his contract, the German club would consider offers in the region of €70 million ($77.5 million) for Nusa.

Elsewhere, Liverpool’s Víctor Muñoz and Manchester City’s Iliman Ndiaye are two quality left-sided stars that switched clubs for (relatively) reasonable fees without United taking even a passing interest.

Striker

Šesko’s injury has left United with a dearth of true center forward options, at least until January.

Carrick has regularly used Mbeumo centrally, while the much unfancied Joshua Zirkzee remains the only other senior striker on the books.

Could wantaway Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta been a solid short-to-medium-term option that would’ve provided Premier League quality depth without blocking Šesko’s path?

Hindsight is 20/20, but Nicolas Jackson, now thriving at Aston Villa, is another player who was up for grabs over the summer and suddenly looks like a player United could really have used.