Manchester United have made a mess of the start of the season and there is no point dressing it up. Michael Carrick is in his first full campaign as permanent manager and already the pressure is there, loud and deserved. The 3-2 home loss to Brighton in the Carabao Cup summed up the problem. United raced into a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes through Shea Lacey and Mason Mount, then lost control of the match and eventually lost the tie. That is not bad luck. That is a team with structural issues, fragile confidence and too many unavailable players.
The wider backdrop is ugly enough. There has been the derby defeat to Manchester City, the late slip at Everton and the loss to newly-promoted Hull. Wins over Ipswich and Sabah FK have not changed the mood. Add in the noise around JJ Gabriel asking to leave and the trip to Fulham now carries more significance than it should in September.
United need results, though they also need bodies back. Here is where things stand with the injured players, and what it all means ahead of Fulham and the difficult run that follows.
Luke Shaw and Amad Diallo offer immediate hope
Luke Shaw is the closest of the notable absentees to a return. He has missed United’s last three matches with an unspecified issue and Carrick had already hinted that Brighton came slightly too soon. His words were clear enough: “Luke could [be available],” Carrick said on Tuesday. “He could possibly be fit for Brighton, but we’ll see. It’s not clear-cut, but it’s a matter of a few days rather than anything else.”
That points to Shaw being in the frame for Fulham, or at the very least being close enough to travel. United have lacked balance without him. He gives them a natural left-sided outlet and, more importantly, some control in build-up. At the moment, United look stretched too easily and too often.
Amad Diallo is further away. He has not played at all this season after suffering an ankle injury in training before the opening match at Hull….
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