Sudden warning: predictions of Carrick's departure from Manchester United before January

Manchester United have won only one of their four Premier League matches, and the pressure is already building on manager Michael Carrick after the latest phase of the club's rebuild.

Former United midfielder Nicky Butt reckons Carrick may not last until January after this difficult start.

The Red Devils boss, who took charge permanently last summer, simply doesn't have a strong enough defence to compete, according to Butt. That, he fears, could be Carrick's undoing.

Speaking on "The Good, the Bad and the Football", Butt made clear he felt Carrick had not been backed with enough summer signings.

He told the British newspaper "Mirror": "I think it's all well and good them saying they are doing it in stages, both the club and the signings, but if you're a manager, you think, well, the forwards, they think they're in a good position there, I don't think so."

He added: "I think they need an out-and-out striker, an out-and-out striker in every sense of the word. They have sorted out the midfielders, which is debatable."

Butt continued: "I think they have done a good job of that, but Michael may not even make it to the next transfer window, and he might say: 'Well, I've lost my job and you're not giving me the tools I need to do my job with the back four'."

Age is the concern at the heart of that defence. "Regardless of what you say about the back four, Harry Maguire was an incredible player, a top-class player, but he has reached a certain age now, he's getting older, and we've all been through that, haven't we? When someone gets older, they slow down, or they're not as good as they were, nor as quick as they were," he said.

On the rest of the back line, Butt added: "Lisandro Martinez is still at the top of his game, still a very good player. I'm also a fan of Luke Shaw when he is fit and playing, he's among the best in Europe, but the reality is that he gets a lot of injuries."

The right-back situation, he says, is worse still. "I don't think any of the right-backs are good enough. So, as a coach or manager, you look at it and say: 'Well, I desperately need to bring in some players for the back four'."

Butt concluded: "But it seems the recruitment team and the officials at United are saying: 'No, this is the next phase, and it might happen in January, it might even happen already, and it will be very difficult, or maybe it will happen in the summer'. And that doesn't help managers."

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