Manchester United’s defeat to AC Milan in the final pre-season warm-up was framed as a player problem, or rather the lack of the fantasy midfielder and left-back required to make United whole again.

But how long before the problem reverts to a managerial issue and last season’s saviour is identified as a culprit?

It is only 14 months since Michael Carrick was sacked by Middlesbrough, ending his first senior managerial role after two-and-a-half years. His appointment as caretaker at Old Trafford was born of convenience, leaning heavily on a combination of short-term availability, former player energy, and familiarity.

The attributes that would ordinarily qualify a coach to manage United, experience and trophies, Carrick manifestly lacks. This, of course, proved a kind of superpower in those early weeks in which his reformed United bounced Manchester City at Old Trafford and looted Arsenal at the Emirates.

The euphoria of that rapid start draped Carrick in mystic otherworldliness, a protective layer that would suspend scrutiny and critical appraisal. The absence of permanence meant Carrick was not operating under anything like the pressure that comes when your name is nailed on the door.

Carrick’s tousle-haired cool may, or may not, reflect world-leading attributes. The point is there was no way of knowing when Ineos replaced Ruben Amorim with him. Moreover, the sample as caretaker played out under unique conditions that can only be evaluated over time.

What we do know with United is how quickly the roof caves in. One bad performance is all it takes to trigger the podcast commentariat populated by an army of former United players hitched to microphones, headed by Carrick-sceptics Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

You have to fear for Rio Ferdinand. Reeling from the Milan reverse, Ferdinand launched into a febrile social media plea for his old club to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal.

“Get the chequebook out, slap it down and sign him. No questions asked,” Ferdinand said in an escalating rant that identified Lewis-Skelly as the man who single-handedly made Arsenal champions again. And from midfield, too. Two players in one, who could refuse that kind of deal? Not even the penny-pinching Ineos, right?

Ferdinand’s appeal reflects the sense of instability and panic surrounding a club that refuses to stabilise. The defeat to Amorim’s hitherto struggling Milan fed into the growing alarm over United’s sluggish transfer activity, which has failed to keep pace with their Big Six rivals.

The worry in Poland was the degree to which Carrick was outthought by the bloke he replaced. The same lack of control experienced under Amorim was evident in a midfield persistently overrun.

At one point in the first half Milan enjoyed 73 per cent possession as they poured through gaps engineered by the failed three-at-the-back dogma that led to Amorim’s dismissal at United.

The ageing legs of Casemiro found echoes in those of Youri Tielemans, whose strength at 29 is not doing the hard yards. Alongside Tielemans, Andrey Santos shows huge promise but lacks experience.

The third wheel in United’s embryonic engine room, Bruno Fernandes, does not have the instinct for defensive actions and is frequently a passenger when United are out of possession.

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Thus United remain easy prey against organised teams when the slick combinations break down. Mason Mount’s fitness issues and Kobbie Mainoo’s lack of minutes compromised Carrick’s selections in Poland, further upping the angst among fans.

Carrick’s caretaker success, returning more points in 2026 than any other Premier League team, means protests at poor performances are for now directed at Ineos and the football directorate led by Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.

Carrick could hardly have picked kinder opening fixtures than a trip to Hull City, followed by Ipswich Town at home and Everton away. Fourth up is the Manchester derby.

He wouldn’t want to enter that crucible needing points on the board. If that turns out to be his fate, the atmosphere might be somewhat different to that he enjoyed the last time United met City at home.