Carrick must share burden of Man Utd's underperformance with his players

"We couldn't find a way to get ourselves into the game. With the ball, without the ball, we were off it." A fair assessment from Michael Carrick, if not a wholly explanatory one.

Stuck in the mire of Manchester United's worst start to a league season for 40 years, the manager appeared lost for legitimate reasons. His margin for error is shrinking by the week.