Saha warns Carrick his tactics are putting Man United job at risk after Brighton collapse

Louis Saha has warned Michael Carrick that his tactical approach is placing his Manchester United job in jeopardy, after a week in which the club lost to both 10-man Manchester City and Brighton — the latter a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat that was met with boos from sections of the Old Trafford crowd.

The former United striker, speaking publicly after the Brighton loss, argued the problems at the club stem from the manager rather than the squad. “I don’t see a team that has the animation it needs,” Saha said. “I think the way they are playing now is dangerous to Michael Carrick because this is not down to the players.”

Saha pointed specifically to United’s midfield as the root of their struggles, criticising the double-pivot for recycling possession too slowly. “The two defensive midfielders look too comfortable passing the ball slowly, side-to-side. It does not provide the sort of passes forward to create those one-on-one moments,” he said. “In transition they are too slow.”

United spent a combined £155 million in the summer to bring in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, yet Saha believes it is the departure that has hurt them most. Casemiro left on a free transfer and, in Saha’s view, his absence has not been adequately addressed. The Brazilian’s ability to drive play forward and impose a tempo on games has left a gap the new arrivals have not yet filled.

The ex-striker also flagged the underuse of Marcus Rashford as a symptom of the wider tactical malaise. “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,” he said. Saha added that summer signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes are all being let down by the lack of fluidity around them.

Carrick’s position has come under scrutiny following the Brighton defeat, with United having raced into a 2-0 lead before being pegged back in the second half. Saha drew a pointed comparison to the tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, urging Carrick to impose a clear system before the pressure becomes unmanageable. “What he must do now is support the team to animate the system, a way of playing, a certain motion and rhythm to what they do,” he said.

Benjamin Sesko, who missed pre-season through injury, and several other players who returned late after the World Cup have been cited as mitigating factors, but Saha was clear that the onus now falls on the manager to find solutions.