Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur meet in the Premier League this weekend with both new managers already under scrutiny. Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi have endured difficult starts, and the fixture at Old Trafford arrives with the table offering little comfort to either side.
Spurs are winless and sit rock-bottom after taking just two points from a possible 15. United, in 12th, have won once, drawn twice and lost twice. The pressure is not abstract. It is measurable in points, in possession, and in the patience of boardrooms that watched both clubs cling too long to previous managers, Ruben Amorim and Thomas Frank.
De Zerbi was backed heavily in the transfer market, to the tune of over £300 million, and appointed on a five-year contract only six months ago. His expansive, collective-based style is not easy or quick to implement. His only previous experience of a similarly high-pressure environment came at Marseille, where a promising start deteriorated amid internal and external tensions.
Carrick, still young in managerial terms, sealed a Champions League spot last season. He is not as tied to a single style as his rival, so United can resort to deeper defending, worry less about possession and hit opponents in transition. A more pragmatic model can draw criticism at Old Trafford, yet it has been a tried and tested tool in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to keep the project afloat.
Making a managerial change just a handful of games into the season appears premature. Football tends to write its own script, though, and the loser — or both, if it ends in a draw — will face increased speculation once the dust settles.
Injury news offers Carrick some relief. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are expected to make the squad on Saturday despite coming off with knocks before the international break. They withdrew from the England squad for their Nations League fixtures. Laurie Whitwell said on the Talk of the Devils podcast that the pair rightfully prioritised their club involvement and should not be considered doubts for the Spurs game. After coming off the bench in the season-opener away to Hull City, the duo have started every Premier League game since.
Other concerns remain. Benjamin Sesko was absent from the draw with Fulham because of a re-aggravation of his shin injury, which ended his 2025/2026 campaign prematurely. Patrick Dorgu left the Denmark camp after a non-contact issue and later felt discomfort in his hamstring. Noussair Mazraoui came off worse in a collision while playing for Morocco and missed their final outing of the break. It remains to be seen if longer-term absentees Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt will be cleared to feature in some form.
Betting analyst Lewis Jones, known as Jones Knows, sees the international break as a disruptive force. First-half goals per game drop after the first international break, and half-time 0-0s spike. He also flagged United’s running stats as an issue. At Fulham, United were outrun by 6.5km, the second most a team has been outrun by an opponent in a Premier League match this season. They rank in the bottom five for distance covered, the bottom four for sprints, and bottom for high-speed runs.
If United fail to win, it would be their worst start to a league season for 40 years. The market still expects a home success at 4/6 with Sky Bet, a price Jones argues is skewed by the badge. He prefers Spurs on the double chance at 6/5.
Should either club decide to change course, the options are complex. Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United manager, is seen as the No. 1 target for both teams if things go south. He is a safe choice with extensive Premier League experience and proven ability to cope in a high-pressure environment. Tactically pragmatic, he would not require an extensive rebuild, though his stated desire to take a break from football makes timing paramount. Best fit: Tottenham, partly because Sandro Tonali, one of his main midfield orchestrators from Newcastle, is already at Spurs.
Antonio Conte, the former Juventus, Inter Milan, Napoli, Chelsea and Spurs head coach, could fascinate Manchester United. Few can rival him at transforming a struggling, incomplete side into a functioning unit quickly. His 3-5-2 may suit the remains of Ruben Amorim’s squad, built with a back-three and wing-backs in mind. Conte is not one to press for the sake of pressing, and his best sides attack with conviction. But he needs a strong hierarchy above him that can handle him.
Arne Slot, despite an underwhelming second season at Liverpool after winning the Premier League in his first, is off the table for Manchester United because of the rivalry. Sources told ESPN he was a serious contender for the Spurs job before they settled on Ange Postecoglou in 2023. The best version of Slot’s sides controls possession, presses aggressively and attacks with pace. Spurs have new signings Tonali and Mateus Fernandes capable of dividing responsibilities from deep, while the No. 10 role in which Dominik Szoboszlai prospered at Anfield would have to be weighed between James Maddison, Xavi Simons and Dejan Kulusevski.
Ernesto Valverde, who left Athletic Club at the end of last season after a third stint, won back-to-back titles with Barcelona from 2017-2019. His style balances possession with quick transition attacks, often built around speedy wingers and attacking full backs. He builds on a strong defensive setup and enough pragmatism to adapt to his squad. His craftsmanship has gone under the radar outside Spain and Greece, where he had two positive spells with Olympiacos. Best fit: Manchester United.
Julian Nagelsmann, once seen as arguably the most intriguing head coach of his generation, saw his standing drop after a controversial Bayern exit and a Germany spell that ended with a World Cup round-of-32 loss to Paraguay this summer. His ingenuity and lateral thinking can be captivating, but tactical flexibility and occasional quirks can tip into confusion. Best fit: Tottenham, but it’s close.
Kieran McKenna, 40 and unattached, has prior connections to both clubs’ academies, but he is likely viewed as a risky appointment. His five-year stint at Ipswich Town in his first senior management role was formidable, yet his next Premier League job is more likely in a more stable environment. Francesco Farioli, 37, of FC Porto, has Manchester United’s minority owners Ineos to thank for catapulting him into a top-five league when he was brought to Nice from Alanyaspor in 2023. He failed to win the 2024-25 Eredivisie title with Ajax despite a nine-point lead with five matches remaining, but redeemed himself with a Portuguese title at Porto. Portuguese media reports say he has a €15 million release clause in transfer windows and €20 million outside them.
