Manchester United's international break is drawing to a close, offering little relief for Michael Carrick. The United boss has endured a difficult start to the season, with pressure mounting after last month's 1-1 draw with Fulham and a Carabao Cup exit to Brighton.
Carrick will need a positive result in Saturday's clash against Tottenham to ease the spotlight on his position as head coach, a situation similar to the one Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi currently faces.
Zirkzee sends Carrick message
Joshua Zirkzee has told Carrick he must win him over to reignite his Old Trafford career. The United forward acknowledges he must raise his performance levels to persuade Carrick to grant him more opportunities.
The Netherlands star received a late call-up to the national squad following Brian Bobbey's injury against Germany and went on to score in their 2-1 victory over Serbia on Sunday. The 25-year-old had last featured for his country in 2024 and admitted the call from Netherlands manager Xavi came as a shock, given he has accumulated just 70 minutes of action for United this season.
"At the moment, that means I am mainly coming on as a substitute," Zirkzee told ESPN regarding his situation at United. "And in the end, I have to do something about that myself, even if it isn't easy. Even so, it was still quite a big surprise that the coach called me up."
Fernandes given new role
Bruno Fernandes not only captained Portugal in their 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence, but the 32-year-old was also fielded in a position he has not played in for quite a while.
National team manager Jorge Jesus chose to play the creative midfielder in a left attacking role rather than his customary central berth within a 4-1-3-2 formation, with PSG's Vitinha assuming playmaking responsibilities. Fernandes has had to play on the left of the attack for United on occasion, although he has cemented himself as the team's main creative outlet centrally over the past couple of seasons.
Despite Fernandes' lack of familiarity in the role, the United captain remained instrumental in Portugal's four Nations League triumphs. He completed all four of his long passes and recorded an 85% passing success rate, while completing six passes in the final third before being substituted in the 90th minute for former Arsenal star Nuno Tavares.
