Manchester United's difficult start to the season continued on Saturday as Michael Carrick's side were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Tottenham. Dominic Solanke's late equaliser at Old Trafford dealt another blow to Carrick on his Premier League return.
The international break offered United an opportunity to regroup and rediscover the momentum of last season. Instead, they are experiencing their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years.
Attention now turns to Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid in Spain. Ahead of that fixture, MEN Sport rounds up the latest developments at Old Trafford.
Carrick told to abandon midfield pairing
In the wake of Saturday's frustrating home draw against Spurs, United great Gary Neville has called for changes. Particularly in midfield, where he believes the club has already "seen enough" of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans as a midfield pivot.
The central pairing were far from the only players to endure a forgettable afternoon for United on Saturday. However, Neville is keen to see alternative combinations tested and suggested Carlos Baleba could provide one solution after catching the eye from the bench.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: "[The team is] not running enough, they're not showing enough tenacity, determination and fighting spirit. The boos tell you they are really despondent with what they are watching."
Neville added: "Tielemans and Mainoo, I think we've seen enough of it now. Not calling time on it, that's probably too drastic. But I've seen enough of it to think, 'That's not dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League'.
"They're both good players, by the way. But sometimes they don't knit together or suit together, when Baleba came on that looked like a lot more energy. But the rest of them will have to get a grip."
Mainoo surrendered possession five times at Old Trafford on Saturday, a higher tally than any other player on the pitch. Tielemans, meanwhile, managed just 81 per cent pass completion in what proved a careless afternoon's work.
Baleba may be given a more substantial role having recovered from injury to make his club debut against Spurs. Fellow summer acquisition Andrey Santos remained on the bench against Tottenham, alongside Mason Mount.
JJ Gabriel in Bayern limbo
The encouraging development for JJ Gabriel and his camp is that Bayern Munich hold an interest in acquiring his services after reportedly initiating discussions to sign the player. The less favourable aspect is they have yet to receive an offer from the Bundesliga powerhouses as the January transfer window draws nearer.
That's according to Sky Sport in Germany, which has reported Die Roten want a commitment from the player first. Though that may prove challenging in the present climate amid reports he prefers a switch to Spain, with Barcelona and Real Madrid also understood to be keen.
It is no secret that Gabriel, who celebrated his 16th birthday this month, and his camp are looking for a way to engineer an exit from Old Trafford. United have reportedly turned down the teenager's request to be deregistered from the club in order to facilitate a move elsewhere.
Much will hinge on whether Gabriel succeeds in securing a European Union passport to obtain an EU work permit. Nevertheless, this is not anticipated to pose a problem, as he is pursuing a Cypriot passport and also has the possibility of acquiring Irish credentials.
United are understood to be keen to retain their young star despite a rift developing between the club and the player. This reportedly stems from Gabriel's representatives demanding greater assurances over first-team minutes, which have so far gone unaddressed.
