THE broadcasters did not miss their cue with Manchester United 2-0 down at Hull.
One of the cameras homed in on director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, a duo who have had to adopt deadpan poker faces in directors’ boxes for two years now.
Wilcox and Berrada were forced to watch the Hull shambles with steely poker faces Credit: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock
Fernandes and Carrick had the worst possible start to the season Credit: Reuters
Wilcox and Berrada are entitled to expect much better than the lethargic and leaden performance United served up at the MKM Stadium.
Patrick Dorgu had the benefit of starting all six pre-season friendlies and lasted a half. Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven partnered each other four times in the friendlies yet looked incompatible.
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Many of Michael Carrick’s calls were questionable. Why pick Heaven, United’s rawest defender? Why does he think Dorgu is a winger? Why move Bryan Mbeumo to the wing when he has played all of his pre-season up front? Why put Matheus Cunha up front after a mere 60 minutes there against AC Milan?
Carrick had his worst day as United head coach and a theme has developed. Whenever he makes substantial changes, personnel or tactical, United lose.
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The upside is a defensive midfielder is about to beef up United’s soft centre. The downside is the defence will not get overhauled until next year.
With Carlos Baleba expected to be confirmed in the coming days, if not hours, United could feasibly sign a defensive midfielder and a defender in the final days of the window. They will look reactive in a summer that they should have been proactive.
A £70million fee for Baleba was admittedly agreed before the Hull horror show but it should not have taken that long.
Brighton man Baleba knew United wanted him more than a year ago and he spoke with Michael Carrick, as well as future teammates, at the Amex Stadium three months ago.
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Getting Baleba in the building for July would have been doubly advantageous as Cameroon did not qualify for the World Cup. Mbeumo, Baleba’s compatriot, was United’s standout performer in pre-season and the only outfield starter who produced a passable performance at Hull.
United still had two new signings in their side on the opening weekend. The issue is neither is necessarily considered a starting signing when Saturday comes.
Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, on their full debuts, lived up to their squad player billings.
Baleba, a probable long-term partner for Kobbie Mainoo, would be deemed a starting signing. He will not get a kick until next month, at the earliest, due to an ankle injury.
The knee-jerk nature of United’s deal-making has been a theme of their window. Elliot Anderson wanted Manchester City, so it was onto Mateus Fernandes, who took the money and ran to Tottenham. So they turned to Santos.
A deal for Ederson collapsed, so the £35m scheduled to be deposited in Atalanta’s account made its way into Aston Villa’s for Tielemans.
Santos and Tielemans were prudent purchases completed quickly. They should have been good enough to see off Hull, hardly an acid test. Neither passed it.
They will now know how much more demanding it is to pull on the United shirt. Santos has been upgraded from bit-part player at Chelsea to Casemiro’s heir apparent at United. It is an onerous burden on the 22-year-old’s shoulders.
Santos came off at half-time Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Tielemans had a debut to forget Credit: Getty
Tielemans recently revealed that his body “switched off” at the World Cup. He was not switched on at Hull and was fortunate to re-emerge for the second half.
A five-year contract for a midfielder who turns 30 next year who made his professional debut aged 16 was excessive. The biggest insult one could level at Wilcox and Berrada is that it was a piece of business reminiscent of Ed Woodward’s days.
Failure to bolster the midfield with an enforcer has contributed to another records-tumbling defeat to Hull – and inflicted reputational damage on Wilcox and Berrada. Finalising incomings in the wake of an August defeat would be another unwanted parallel with Woodward.
A defensive midfielder was always a must at United this summer but they have been complacent at left back and up front.
They have probably left it too late with Lewis Hall and Mikel Arteta has quashed talk of Arsenal cashing in on Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Hall would be the ideal successor to Luke Shaw, into his 13th season at United. Shaw has had three good seasons in 12 and one was in the meaningless and misleading pandemic campaign of 2020-21.
As alarming as United’s defending at Hull was how impotent they were. Striker Benjamin Sesko is back from a long-term shin injury but senior United figures say a new striker is not on their radar.
Joshua Zirkzee, signed on the assumption he was a striker, made one competitive start during Sesko’s three-and-a-half month lay-off and is barely of consideration.
Zirkzee was the first signing of the Berrada and Wilcox era. They’ll need to adopt that poker face again if United are to shift Zirkzee.
Zirkzee did not even get on at Hull Credit: Getty
Sesko is fit again after a long lay-off Credit: Getty
