'Dangerous to Michael Carrick!' - Ex-Man Utd star destroys slow tactics after historic collapse

Carrick is facing mounting scrutiny as United manager following a disastrous week of results. The Red Devils suffered a historic 3-2 defeat at home to Brighton on Wednesday night, despite taking an early 2-0 lead.

This stunning collapse marked the first time in over 50 years that United have lost at Old Trafford after holding a two-goal advantage. It compounded the bitter disappointment of a 1-0 defeat against 10-man Manchester City just days prior.

Carrick successfully guided the club back to the Champions League, earning the permanent managerial role during the summer. However, former United striker Saha believes the manager's job is now in serious danger.

Speaking to Betano, Saha insisted that the blame for the recent slump lies with the dugout rather than the dressing room. He highlighted a severe lack of attacking patterns and urged Carrick to adapt his system quickly.

"The problem with Manchester United this season is not the players," Saha explained. "In truth I don't think it was a good summer transfer window for Manchester United. But Michael Carrick has to adapt.

"I don't see a team that has the animation it needs. Manchester United needs a system to play good football, with patterns of play. I think the way they are playing now is dangerous to Michael Carrick because this is not down to the players."

A major tactical concern for Saha is the sheer lack of urgency in the middle of the pitch. He believes United's defensive midfielders are playing far too safely, which ultimately stifles the team's ability to attack efficiently.

"The two defensive midfielders look too comfortable passing the ball slowly, side-to-side," he added. "It does not provide the sort of passes forward to create those one-on-one moments. In transition they are too slow. It doesn't matter who you put in these situations, whether it's Sesko or [Matheus] Cunha or [Bryan] Mbeumo, if one of them isn't taking more risks and pressing forward, it's not going to help advance the play.

"United create some chances but they are not clear cut chances, and they aren't using the acceleration of Marcus Rashford to get behind teams, so they don't have that dimension either. It's all too slow."

Following back-to-back painful defeats against City and Brighton, the pressure is squarely on Carrick to turn the tide. The manager will demand an immediate response from his players in their next fixture as they look to bounce back. Failure to secure a positive result could see his position at Old Trafford come under severe threat very early in the campaign.