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Rio Ferdinand urges Carrick to play Rashford centrally for Manchester United
Manchester United hit the international break stuck in reverse. Five Premier League games, just five points, 12th in the table and already out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle for the second year running.
The mood around Carrington is flat. The numbers are worse.
- United rank 20th in the league for distance covered at high intensity.
- 20th for time spent at high intensity.
- 20th for sprints.
- 20th for time spent sprinting.
- And 17th for percentage of time walking out of possession.
For a club built on ferocious, front-foot football, it’s a damning picture.
Ferdinand’s call: “Give defenders something to think about”
As Michael Carrick retreats to the drawing board over the break, one of his former teammates has offered a blunt attacking solution. Rio Ferdinand wants a reshuffle up top.
His message is simple: move Marcus Rashford into the centre-forward role and shift Matheus Cunha out to the left.
Carrick has so far persisted with Cunha as a No.9, even though the Brazilian’s game is more naturally suited to drifting from wider areas, carrying the ball and linking play. Rashford, back in the squad this summer after his reintegration, has been operating from the flank and has yet to register a goal or an assist this season.
Cunha, meanwhile, finally opened his Premier League account for the campaign with a late equaliser at Craven Cottage in Sunday’s draw with Fulham. It was a crucial goal, but not enough to mask United’s broader attacking malaise.
That’s where Ferdinand believes a positional switch could bite. A direct Rashford, running at centre-backs from the middle, changes the questions opponents have to answer. It stretches defences differently. It asks them to turn, not just shuffle across.
Sesko waits, United stall
Looming over the debate is Benjamin Sesko. The out-and-out striker, signed to be a focal point, has yet to start a league game under Carrick this season, despite owning a strong record in all competitions since the manager took charge.
His absence from the Premier League XI only sharpens scrutiny on the current setup. United are not pressing with intensity, not running as hard as their rivals, and not finishing teams off. When the stats scream “passive” and the league table backs them up, every tactical choice comes under the microscope.
The next fixture hardly allows for drift. Tottenham Hotspur visit Old Trafford on Saturday, October 10. Spurs haven’t won since the campaign began, but they will arrive sensing vulnerability. Three weeks of soul-searching, three weeks of planning, and then a home crowd expecting a response.
Carrick now has a decision to make. Does he stick with Cunha as his central striker, keep Sesko waiting and persist with Rashford on the wing? Or does he take Ferdinand’s advice, roll the dice, and finally put his most explosive forward right down the middle?
