Man Utd Afternoon Round-Up, Tuesday 20th October 2026: Carrick Faces Defensive Crisis Ahead of Como Clash

Michael Carrick is expected to give an injury update as United's defensive options continue to shrink ahead of Wednesday's Champions League trip to face Como (Manchester Evening News). The Manchester Evening News also report that Carrick may have a tough call to make over his supposedly 'undroppable' player given the selection headaches building up for that game (Manchester Evening News). Adding to the concern, a United fan quoted by BBC Sport argues the club's backline simply isn't good enough and that they are now feeling the effects of not strengthening it in the summer (BBC Sport).

Erik ten Hag has been speaking about his time in charge at Old Trafford, telling BBC Sport that Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team and let me down" during his spell at the club (BBC Sport). The Manchester Evening News add that Ten Hag also touched on the dressing-room culture during his tenure, though he stopped short of naming the player he said had pushed him (Manchester Evening News).

Elsewhere, Romelu Lukaku has faced fresh criticism, with the Manchester Evening News reporting he's been accused of repeating old United habits since his summer move to Turkey, with one critic asking "Aren't you ashamed?" (Manchester Evening News)

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.