Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Fulham has done little to ease the pressure around Michael Carrick, with Gary Neville delivering a brutal assessment of the team’s work without the ball.

United needed an 89th-minute Matheus Cunha equaliser to rescue a point after Lisandro Martinez’s own goal had put Fulham ahead.

Despite recording 29 shots to Fulham’s 12, United produced only 1.59 xG compared with Fulham’s 1.57, showing how little their huge shot volume translated into clear superiority.

Neville says attacking players are hurting Man United

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville argued that Carrick’s biggest problem is not simply his defence, but how little protection several midfielders and attackers provide.

He said, as reported by Express:

“I wish he could play all of those attacking players.”

Neville continued:

“But they are going to kill him defensively. It’s not just the defence and the back four that are causing him a problem. [Bryan] Mbeumo and [Marcus] Rashford are too high and wide. They don’t narrow back in. You’ve got [Youri] Tielemans and [Kobbie] Mainoo in midfield who are a little bit one-paced.

“[Carlos] Baleba will probably come in there. Bruno [Fernandes] floats around a little bit, and then [Matheus] Cunha floats around a little bit. You’ve got these five or six players who are better with the ball than without the ball.

“It would be great to see them score loads of goals and maybe concede one or two and go and win games, but there is going to have to be a reset from the point of view of defensive structure because there are far too many of them walking on the pitch.”

Neville went even further, describing United’s first 15 minutes of the second half as the worst he had ever seen from the club and accusing the players of walking when Fulham had possession.

Carrick’s problem is balance, not just personnel

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Neville’s criticism gets to the heart of United’s current issue.

Carrick has plenty of talented attacking players, but the team lacks compactness when possession is lost. If Mbeumo and Rashford stay high and wide while Fernandes and Cunha drift into free roles, United leave too much space around their midfield.

That helps explain why Fulham could build attacks so comfortably despite United dominating the shot count.

The broader numbers are concerning too. United have just five points from five Premier League games, their joint-worst return at this stage of a Premier League season, and are averaging only one point per game under Carrick this term after averaging 2.3 last season.

The answer is not necessarily dropping all the attacking talent. Carrick needs clearer defensive responsibilities, tighter distances between the lines and more collective pressing.

United have enough quality with the ball. Right now, their biggest weakness is what happens when they do not have it.

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