The Man Utd Player Who Should be Dropped and Carrick Knows It

· GiveMeSport

Michael Carrick has to make a brave decision at Manchester United in the coming weeks

Manchester United’s struggles continued on Sunday as they were held to a draw by Fulham , leaving Michael Carrick under mounting pressure and facing a major team selection decision.

The Red Devils saved themselves from an embarrassing defeat against Alvaro Arbeloa's winless Cottagers, courtesy of an 89th-minute equaliser from Matheus Cunha. They had been trailing the game after conceding a calamitous opening goal early in the second half when the ball bounced off Lisandro Martinez and trickled past a hapless Sennne Lammens.

The result leaves United 12th in the table, having accumulated just five points and one win from their opening five matches of the campaign.

There is already significant discourse around Carrick's future , although the English head coach can still save himself at Old Trafford; he merely needs to make a brave decision to give himself a chance.

Marcus Rashford faced the brunt of United fans' frustrations after the encounter in West London on Saturday afternoon, but it was arguably a different player who was more of a hindrance to Carrick's team.

Youri Tielemans, who signed from Aston Villa for £35million in the summer, started alongside Kobbie Mainoo in United's double pivot once again, and his performance was a huge cause for concern.

Gary Neville bemoaned his former team's lack of urgency in and out of possession at Craven Cottage, and Tielemans was arguably the biggest culprit of this. The Belgian strolled around in the middle of the park with little intensity, encapsulating United's passiveness when they didn't have the ball.

Tielemans' Statistics vs Fulham

- Minutes Played: 90 - Accurate Passes: 70//77 (91%) - Touches: 90 - Chances Created: 1 - Shots: 1 - Passes into the Final Third: 19 - Defensive Contributions: 13 - Ground Duels Won: 4/7 (57%)

In possession, the former Leicester City man is supposed to take on the ball-progression mantle and get the north-west outfit up the pitch with his incisive passing. He did this to very little avail on Sunday, playing largely conservative passes around Fulham's mid-block.

This was a disastrously lax display from Tielemans, whose early season impact on United's build-up has started to wane significantly.

A midfield trio of Mainoo, Tielemans and Fernandes simply isn't athletic enough, or defensively stable enough, to cope in the Premier League . One of the three has to make way for one of Andrey Santos or Carlos Baleba, and Tielemans is the obvious candidate.

Fernandes provides Carrick's side with the passing and creativity, negating the need for Tielemans somewhat. Meanwhile, Mainoo has developed the settled possession passing needed from a deeper midfielder, also making his Belgian counterpart somewhat redundant.

Both Santos and Baleba can add significantly more defensive output than any of the aforementioned three, making at least one of them neccessary.

This is a brave decision which Carrick needs to make for the balance of his team. Last term, Casemiro accompanied Mainoo and Fernandes in the middle of the park, and this balance worked nicely for the most part. Baleba and Santos can do a more accurate Casemiro impression, while Tielemans' declining physical assets are causing United severe issues.

The 15-year-old requested to leave the Red Devils last week, much to the shock of his current employers.

All Statistics via FotMob - correct as of 21/09/2026

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