Wayne Rooney urges Michael Carrick to drop two Manchester United stars against Ipswich

Speaking on The Overlap, Rooney called for Carrick to make ruthless decisions after Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat to Hull City. The club have controlled 71 per cent of the possession but struggled to create meaningful chances.

Rooney believes the tactical setup is only part of the issue, stating: "I think players need to take responsibility on the pitch because when you play against a Hull City or Ipswich, the next game, you can set up however you want to set up and a lot of the time it’s decisions." He stressed that on-pitch choices ultimately dictate the result.

Rooney specifically identified Shaw and Santos as the players who need to be sacrificed when Manchester United host Ipswich on Sunday.

Suggesting Patrick Dorgu should move to the defence, Rooney explained: "I’d change Luke Shaw and I’d play Dorgu at left-back, be a bit more aggressive. I don’t think we can rely on him [Shaw] to play all the games so when you’re playing against a newly promoted team at home, I’d play Dorgu at left-back." When asked about adjusting the midfield pairing, Rooney added: "Mainoo probably, yeah. I’d bring Mainoo in for Santos."

Carrick will need to find a winning formula without summer signing Carlos Baleba, who arrived for £70 million but is currently sidelined with ankle ligament damage.

The manager admitted he was deeply frustrated by the performance in Hull. Despite presenting a calm exterior to the media, Carrick confessed: "The result’s the result. We got beat, we’re hurt and it’s not a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean it’s going to change the whole direction of how we’re going as a team or as a football club."

Manchester United have an immediate opportunity to bounce back when they face Ipswich at Old Trafford on Sunday. Carrick must decide whether to heed Rooney's advice and rotate his underperforming stars. A convincing victory is essential to ease the mounting pressure and get their Premier League campaign back on track before the schedule intensifies.