As Michael Carrick has said, in order to save themselves, Manchester United need to win matches.

Their next game is against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November. Among the seven matches they have after that are trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal.

As yet, there is no word about Carrick's future, although before Saturday's loss, the expectation was he would be in charge for Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Roma.

But these are uncharted waters and no-one can be absolutely sure what happens next. It is clear that many players need to improve their performance levels.

United will be without one of those players, Lisandro Martinez, who will miss the Villa game because of suspension after his red card at Chelsea, which was branded "inexplicable" by former World Cup final official Darren Cann on BBC Sport.

Martinez's longer-term future with the club is uncertain, but clearly he could not leave until January at the earliest.

His contract expires in the summer, and the Argentine's patchy injury record had already raised questions over whether it was worth triggering the clause that would commit United to another season.

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