Jamie Carragher warns Man Utd summer signing 'won't last' as Michael Carrick's midfield concerns grow

Carrick is under mounting pressure after Manchester United collected just six points from their opening six Premier League fixtures. The Red Devils were fortunate to salvage a home draw against 10-man Tottenham on Saturday after being completely overpowered in a woeful first-half display.

These early-season struggles have highlighted glaring tactical issues in the middle of the pitch. Summer arrival Youri Tielemans, who joined from Aston Villa for £35 million, was repeatedly bypassed alongside midfield partner Kobbie Mainoo.

Despite also recruiting Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba from Chelsea and Brighton respectively, Carrick has persisted with the Tielemans-Mainoo axis. However, the pairing's lack of dynamism is now drawing fierce criticism from high-profile pundits.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes United's lack of tactical discipline is actively harming Tielemans. Speaking on Sky Sports, the pundit explained why the Belgium international is suffering without the structural support he enjoyed at his former club.

Carragher said: "Why did Tielemans look good at Aston Villa and he’s really struggled so far at Manchester United? When you look at an Unai Emery team, they are coached to within an inch of their lives every day and every time you watch Aston Villa game, that team is compact and together."

He highlighted that the £35m signing lacks natural pace and requires a tight unit around him to mask his athletic deficiencies. Carragher compared the situation to Alexis Mac Allister's initial struggles at Anfield, warning that Carrick must quickly fix his system.

"And when you have a player who isn’t great athletically which he isn’t, you need your team to be super compact. That is exactly the opposite," Carragher added. "This is a problem Liverpool had last season with Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister has looked better this season because the team is tighter and more compact and that is what Manchester United need to do or he is not going to last, he’s not going to be in the team."

These concerns are echoed by former United captain Gary Neville, who feels the current midfield structure is incompatible with Premier League demands. Speaking on his podcast, Neville suggested the current duo simply do not complement one another on the pitch.

"Tielemans and Mainoo, I think we’ve seen enough of it now," Neville explained. "I’m not calling time on it because that’s probably too drastic but I’ve seen enough to think that’s not a midfield that’s dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League. I think they are both good players, by the way, individually. But sometimes you just have players that don’t quite knit together or don’t quite suit each other."

Neville noted that United looked vastly improved when Baleba was introduced against Spurs, demanding immediate changes to avoid further domestic and European embarrassment.

"I think when Baleba came on with Mainoo, it looked like there was a lot more energy," he added. "There’s going to have to be something done in there, and the rest of them are going to have to get a grip because they are going to a Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid and Elland Road.

"If you’re not quite right there from a mental and physical perspective, you’re going to get found out. They’ve got a couple of days to recover, pick themselves up from this, and get going because if they don’t get going, it’s going to be a worrying few weeks."

United must quickly regroup as they face a formidable Champions League clash away to Atletico Madrid tonight. This demanding European tie serves as the first hurdle in a gruelling run of fixtures that will heavily test the squad's physical and mental resilience.

Carrick will be forced to shuffle his pack in the Spanish capital regardless of his tactical preferences. Mainoo has not travelled with the squad, meaning Baleba or Santos will likely step in as United search for a crucial victory to kick-start their stalling campaign.