"These are not the standards of a big club": a shocking admission that sums up Manchester United's collapse
A lowly position, a defensive crisis and administrative disputes
Goals alone no longer paper over the cracks at Manchester United. Bryan Mbeumo keeps finding the net, yet Michael Carrick is staring at a far messier reality: six matches without a win, a run that drags up memories of the club's bleakest recent spells.
The 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road piled more pressure on the Red Devils, for all the effort they put into looking like a functioning side. Results have dried up, the board are taking flak over recruitment, and the treatment room keeps filling up. Carrick's job gets harder by the week, even as he insists the outlook is still a positive one.
Mbeumo remains one of the few bright spots in the squad. Another goal at Leeds took the Cameroonian to four in seven Premier League matches, according to "BBC Sport".
His attacking output matters all the more because so many around him can't find the net. Bruno Fernandes grabbed a hat-trick against Ipswich in August. Beyond that, nobody in Carrick's squad has scored more than once.
Leaning on Mbeumo won't drag the team clear, though. The problem runs deeper than finishing. United can't turn performances into wins, and without wins there is no stability and no faith in the stands.
They played reasonably well against Leeds, just as they did against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Conceding inside the first minute of that match told its own story. Decisive moments keep catching them cold.
Six matches without a win: Carragher refuses to lower expectations
Six games have now passed without a Manchester United victory, their worst run since the 2018-2019 season, when their level dropped sharply after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handed the job permanently.
Such a return brings mounting pressure, and the draw with Leeds did little to suggest the crisis is easing.
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool and England defender, led the criticism of what United served up, arguing that avoiding defeat should never become the measure of success or progress.
Carragher said via "Sky Sports": "Because they didn't lose to Leeds, we tend to think that United put in a good performance. But from another angle, that is a negative thing, because in doing so we are lowering the standards. In truth, we should not be talking about Manchester United in those terms."
His words cut to the heart of it. Nobody is discussing trophies any more. The debate is about how United rediscover the habit of winning and stop shedding points that drift them further from the pack at the top.
Martinez ignites a boardroom crisis as Wilcox watches from the stands
Results were not the only thing troubling Old Trafford. Before the Leeds match, Lisandro Martinez lit the fuse by taking aim at sporting director Jason Wilcox and the board, accusing them of failing to deliver effective signings in the summer window.
The Argentine's comments dragged the club's transfer policy back into the spotlight, along with the board's capacity to give the coaching staff what they need to compete.
Wilcox watched from the stands at Elland Road. Martinez started, having apologised for the timing and setting of his criticism without taking back a word of its substance.
It all lands harder because many believe Carrick has been short-changed, particularly at left-back, where nobody was brought in to push Luke Shaw.
Diogo Dalot became the fifth different player to fill that slot this season, a statistic that says plenty about the lack of technical stability and Carrick's inability to name a settled side.
Shaw's availability for Wednesday's Champions League trip to face Italian side Como is still up in the air, which may force yet more reshuffling at the very moment United crave some continuity.
Injuries strike the defence as Carrick turns to makeshift solutions
The Leeds match brought another blow. Martinez went off at half-time with a thigh injury, reviving concerns about the back line's fitness and United's ability to cope without key men.
Matthijs de Ligt's condition remains delicate after the Dutchman's recent return from roughly 11 months out with back problems, so Carrick turned to full-back Noussair Mazraoui instead. The decision spoke volumes about how little room he has in defence.
That leaves the manager with an obvious bind. He has to protect players coming back from injury while squeezing enough out of the bodies available to end this run.
Constant reshuffling at the back hardly builds the understanding United need, either, not at a stage when the team must cut out errors and start matches better after being caught out early by Leeds.
No defensive stability, no settled squad, no shortage of criticism about recruitment. Carrick has to find quick fixes, and he can't count on anybody being at full physical sharpness.
Thirteenth place: Carrick clings to optimism
United came away from Leeds sitting 13th in the Premier League, and they could drop further once the round's remaining fixtures are played.
Carrick refused to go down the pessimistic route, insisting instead that his side can come through this if they rediscover consistency and go about things the right way.
Ruben Amorim took a very different approach last season, delivering explosive comments in a press conference after a meeting between the two sides and losing his job within 24 hours. Carrick, by contrast, looked calm under the pressure.
The United manager said he had been wearing earphones all week and so missed the noise Martinez's comments created, before laying out his own reading of the situation.
He added: "Honestly, today felt like a fresh start. We're aware of our current reality, we accept it, and we're working to address it. I'm not trying to paint things as perfect by any means, I'm completely realistic."
Teams go through rough patches and have to find a way out, Carrick explained, stressing the need for consistency and for doing the right things rather than buckling under the weight of results.
He signed off by insisting United have the ingredients to win football matches, and that while the situation might look grim from one angle, he trusts the squad to string together positive results.
Optimism won't change anything on its own, mind. United must convert these improved displays into wins, patch up the defence and restore order on and off the pitch. Until then, Mbeumo's form stays a rare glimmer in a season spiralling into complication, with Carrick waiting on the next match to be the real start of the escape.
