Manchester United travel to Leeds this weekend with Michael Carrick in urgent need of a result, as the dressing room digests Lisandro Martinez's explosive attack on club officials after Tuesday's Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.
The centre-back's unprecedented criticism has left United reeling. Martinez held crisis talks with Carrick, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada on Thursday, and released a statement apologising for the "time and place" of his comments, but not for their nature.
Recruitment and the manager's role
If Carrick is given time, will he be given a bigger say in signing the players he wants? Carrick has a say in recruitment, as the next head coach would, but the process United have moved to means the manager doesn't have the voice he used to when it comes to signing players.
Part of the issue at United is that Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag all signed players they wanted to fit their system. When they left, it was a case of ripping it all up to start again. Having a director of football model and a strategy that outlines a clear style of play makes sense. It means that should Carrick fail, the next head coach will follow a similar style and be able to build on that work, rather than deciding the squad doesn't suit his demands and United having to start again from scratch.
Youth opportunities and midfield options
Why does Carrick not have faith in young players? Shea Lacey came in and did well and hasn't been since, and Harry Amass would be a good option at left-back. It's the first time this has been suggested. Generally, Carrick has shown faith in youngsters and tried to give them opportunities. There were limited chances to do that last season, with just 17 league games and a week between almost all of them.
Lacey is a fair point. He did really well against Brighton and it seemed it would lead to more minutes, but he hasn't kicked a ball in the Premier League since the opening day of the season. Amass will be bitterly disappointed that he hasn't had a start yet when four other left-backs have started, but the reality is the club aren't convinced, and he could have left this summer had they got an offer higher than Burnley's £3.5million bid.
On the midfield, there is a chance Baleba, Mainoo and Tielemans could start together in the near future. It's unclear if Mainoo will be fit to face Leeds, but he and Baleba could form a good partnership at the base of midfield. There is also an argument to persist with Tielemans as the more advanced midfielder rather than Fernandes. You could move Fernandes to the right, but United need the control of a passer like Tielemans rather than Fernandes' high-risk style.
Director of football and Rashford's form
If the director of football isn't doing his job, why should the head coach be the one who gets sacked? If this does end with Carrick going, Wilcox will have overseen the decision to extend Erik ten Hag's contract, appoint Amorim and then Carrick - three managers down in a little over two years. But he has a good relationship with Omar Berrada and, more importantly, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Wilcox's job appears to be safe. Some of the criticism of him in terms of recruitment is probably a little misplaced. He is given a budget, he doesn't set it, and the budget this summer - and every summer - is affected by the fact this club is £1.1billion in debt.
On Rashford, he is getting criticism again and hasn't yet got a goal or an assist this season, but that doesn't tell the full story. His performances have been better than the raw numbers suggest, and he's still carrying a hip injury he picked up at the World Cup. In the last few weeks, it has looked to be holding him back a little physically.
