Why Carrick must finally drop Man Utd flop after Fulham

Manchester United avoided a third consecutive defeat within the space of a week, after scoring late against Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier this afternoon.

It looked as though the Red Devils were heading towards another loss, after Lisandro Martínez scored an own goal after Senne Lammens parried the ball into the Argentine’s path.

Matheus Cunha’s strike in the 89th minute secured a vital point for Michael Carrick’s men, who have once again been called into question over their struggles in recent weeks.

Such a goal will no doubt paper over a lot of the cracks in the senior ranks, with their showing in the capital this afternoon one that undoubtedly warranted criticism.

How multiple United players failed to deliver against Fulham

After his summer arrival from Aston Villa, midfielder Youri Tielemans has started every game for United, but his showing against the Cottagers today was arguably his worst for the club.

The Belgian international featured for the entirety of the contest and was unable to complete any of the dribbles he attempted, whilst losing possession on nine separate occasions.

Without the ball, he was just as ineffective, subsequently losing 100% of the aerial battles he contested and also being dribbled past twice in transition.

However, he certainly wasn’t alone in failing to deliver at Craven Cottage, as winger Marcus Rashford struggled to produce his best performance this afternoon.

The Englishman once again was handed a start off the left-hand side of the attack, but was unable to produce – as seen by the stats he delivered during the draw.

The 28-year-old could only complete 50% of the dribbles he attempted against Alvaro Arbeloa’s men, whilst only picking out a teammate with 33% of his crosses.

Such a performance has caused concern within the fanbase, after the attacker once again failed to register a single goal or assist for the fifth straight league game.

Why one United star needs to be dropped after Fulham

After failing to win once again this week, many United supporters will be concerned about the direction of the senior ranks for the remainder of the campaign.

Manager Carrick has seen his future being called into question by a selection of fans, with his continued selection of Rashford within his starting eleven just one area of concern.

He’s seemingly become very set in his ways and handed constant starts to players who ultimately are no longer at the level needed for success in the Premier League.

Luke Shaw is another player who’s struggled to match the expectations placed upon him in recent weeks, with his showing against Fulham evidence of his lack of quality.

The 31-year-old featured for 84 minutes of the score draw, but failed to win any tackles, whilst losing all 100% of the ground duels he entered this afternoon.

Such numbers showcase his lack of quality within defensive areas, which also resulted in him being dribbled past by the opposition on two separate occasions.

Even when trying to get forward and create the goods in attacking areas, Shaw was unable to deliver the goods – subsequently failing to complete any dribbles or crosses.

He could only make two passes into the final third, which ultimately led to him being replaced by Patrick Dorgu – who teed up Cunha for the late equaliser.

After such a performance, the full-back was handed a measly 4/10 match rating, with such a rating one of the lowest out of any player who started the encounter.

Carrick is in desperate need of dropping the Englishman after the international break, with the full-back evidently not at the level required if the club are to be successful.

The manager has shown continued faith in the experienced star to deliver the goods, but evidently the defender has once again proven he’s not up to speed for the Premier League in 2026.

Dorgu has certainly staked his claim for a starting role once again, with the manager needing to hand the Dane the opportunity to showcase his talent on a consistent basis.