Carrick needs a response as Manchester United host Tottenham

Manchester United host Tottenham this Saturday at Old Trafford with pressure on Michael Carrick: the hosts sit 12th after just one league win and the match is framed as a must-win to steady the start.

The Guardian says the international-break period brought relative calm in Manchester, but the issues remain. Marcus Rashford has no goal involvement so far this season, and United are yet to record a clean sheet despite conceding fewer opponent touches inside the box than any other side.

October, a testing month

With six fixtures in October, including away games against Leeds, Atlético Madrid, Como and Chelsea, the Tottenham visit becomes the first big checkpoint. Tottenham arrive bottom of the Premier League, with only two points after spending £300m on Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild.

On availability, the report highlights multiple setbacks: Carlos Baleba, signed from Brighton for £65m in August, is expected to be ready after recovering from an ankle injury. It also notes that Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford were ruled out with England, while Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui’s international breaks ended early.