Rio Ferdinand's Tactical Advice for Carrick: Unleash Rashford in Central Role
Manchester United head into the international break bruised, flat and stuck in 12th place. Five Premier League games, five points, and an early Carabao Cup exit for the second season running have left Michael Carrick with more questions than answers.
One of his former teammates thinks he sees a solution.
A stuttering start and a blunt attack
United’s last outing – a laboured draw at Fulham – summed up their month. Moments of control, long spells of drift. The numbers paint it even more starkly.
- In the Premier League this season, United rank 20th for distance covered at high intensity.
- 20th for time spent at high intensity.
- 20th for sprints.
- 20th for time sprinting.
Even the percentage of time spent walking out of possession is near the bottom: 17th. This is not a side hunting the ball, harassing opponents, or stretching defences. It is a team jogging through games.
They now have three weeks to stew on it. Three weeks to rethink before Tottenham Hotspur come to Old Trafford on Saturday, October 10. Spurs themselves are winless since the campaign began, but United hardly look ready to punish anyone.
Ferdinand’s call: Rashford central, Cunha wide
Amid the gloom, Rio Ferdinand has offered a clear tactical demand for Carrick: give defenders something to worry about again.
His message is simple. Move Marcus Rashford into the centre-forward role. Shift Matheus Cunha out to the left, where his natural instincts can hurt teams from wide areas.
Carrick has so far gone the other way. Cunha has been used as the No.9, asked to lead the line in a role that does not quite fit his profile. Rashford, reintegrated into the squad over the summer, is still searching for rhythm and end product. No goals, no assists yet.
The pressure finally told on Cunha at Craven Cottage, where he grabbed his first Premier League goal of the season with a late equaliser. It was a vital strike, but it did not disguise the broader issue: United’s attack still feels disjointed.
The Sesko question
All of this unfolds with a pure No.9 watching on. Benjamin Sesko, an out-and-out striker with a strong record under Carrick in all competitions, has yet to start a league game this season.
His omission only sharpens the debate. Carrick has a natural centre-forward on the bench, a wide forward playing through the middle, and Rashford – historically dangerous when running off the shoulder – shunted away from the most threatening spaces.
Ferdinand’s suggestion cuts through that muddle. Put Rashford where he can attack the channels and pin centre-backs. Let Cunha drift, drive and combine from the left. Decide what role Sesko plays from there.
United’s season is not broken beyond repair. But with the team bottom of the league’s intensity charts and short of cutting edge, Carrick cannot afford many more missteps in attack.
Tottenham at Old Trafford will show whether he is ready to gamble on a bolder, more natural front line – or stick with a formula that has already stalled.
