Manchester United under Michael Carrick is achieving positive results, but behind that impressive series of matches, there is a clear problem. That is the left winger position.
Carrick has almost not changed the starting lineup since taking over the team. In the last 7 matches, he has only made three changes, two of which were due to injury. However, the left wing position has been continuously tested with 5 different names including Patrick Dorgu, Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo.
A few tests have yielded positive results. Dorgu has scored against Manchester City and Arsenal. Fernandes and Mbeumo also scored when positioned on the left flank in the match against Tottenham Hotspur. Cunha even played an important role in goals against Everton and Crystal Palace.
However, the common point is that none of them are truly true left wingers. For Fernandes or Mbeumo, that is not even their second forte position.
Man United used to be a team associated with wingers. When Carrick was playing at Old Trafford, the team had Ryan Giggs - a legend with 963 appearances, mostly in the wing position. But currently, the squad of the "Red Devils" lacks clear balance.
In the current squad, Man United has two players leaning towards the right wing, Amad and Mbeumo. 3 other players - Cunha, Fernandes and Mason Mount - prefer to play in the number 10 position. No one really wants to stick to the left wing. Mount and Cunha are often tied to the center, while Dorgu was originally recruited for the role of full-back.
This is also part of the legacy that Ruben Amorim left behind. When he arrived at Old Trafford, he inherited a squad that was not suitable for the 3-4-3 formation he preferred. And after leaving, that squad structure was not really suitable for other popular systems such as 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2.
Carrick admitted that the squad needs more balance, but he remained calm: "You always want a balanced squad to have more tactical options. But I think we can still be dangerous. We have players who can take that position, so currently this is not a big concern".
However, statistics sometimes hide the problem. On the field, Man United often lacks width on the left wing - which was clearly shown in the first half of the match against Crystal Palace and also the match against Everton before that. Cunha often binds to the center, making the attack narrow and easy to read.
However, Carrick still believes in the Brazilian player: "Matheus played in that position and created many difficulties for the opponent. In one-on-one situations, he is very difficult to stop".
In fact, Cunha made a significant contribution. A cross-field pass from him led to Benjamin Sesko's decisive goal against Everton. Against Crystal Palace, Cunha's breakthrough on the left wing also brought a penalty and a red card for Maxence Lacroix.
However, if Man United had a left-back pushing up to support the attack, Cunha's tendency to cling to the center would probably not be a big problem. But the most suitable option is that Dorgu is injured. Meanwhile, Luke Shaw is over 30 years old and no longer often pushes up to attack as before.
In the match against Crystal Palace, when Shaw left the field and Noussair Mazraoui came on as a substitute, Man United even finished the match with a squad full of right-footed players.
More ironically, two right-footed players who used to like playing on the left wing of Man United have now left the team. Alejandro Garnacho is playing for Chelsea, while Marcus Rashford moved to Barcelona.
Garnacho left for a fee of about 40 million pounds, while Barcelona could activate a buyout clause for Rashford for 25 million pounds. Meanwhile, Man United spent 62.5 million pounds for Cunha and at least 65 million pounds for Mbeumo.
Those numbers show that the cost to own a quality winger is not small. And in the context that Man United still needs to rebuild the midfield, adding a real left winger may become the next major investment in the summer.
Currently, Carrick's team is still able to manage temporary solutions. But if they want to maintain long-term success, Man United can hardly continue next season without a true left winger.
