The reason why Manchester United wants to buy a left winger has been revealed! Cunha's tendency to cut inside makes him ineffective, and one player may return to the starting lineup.

Carrick has clearly stated that Manchester United is considering signing a new left winger this summer. The reason is simple: the team has issues utilizing width on the pitch. This is one of the factors behind the unsatisfactory performances in the past four matches. Although Carrick has led the team to six wins in eight games, as Scholes pointed out, the recent performances have indeed been poor.

Manchester United performed best against Manchester City and Arsenal, were decent against Everton and Crystal Palace, and were fortunate not to lose against West Ham. Newcastle's tactics directly exposed the Red Devils' weaknesses, including a lack of width in their play.

Particularly on the left side, the absence of Patrick Doku and Lisandro Martinez leaves Luke Shaw as the only left-footed player. Leny Yoro, who replaced Martinez, is highly regarded but still far from mature, especially in terms of passing confidence. Cunha, who replaced Doku, is a right-footed player whose style involves cutting inside, hardly providing the tactical option of overlapping and crossing.

Without Martinez, Manchester United struggles to move the ball from the back to threatening areas on the left; without Doku, there is no player to receive the ball on the left wing, causing attacks to focus more on the center and right, making it easier for opponents to defend.

In the match against Crystal Palace, Manchester United's left-side attacking share reached its lowest level this season. If Crystal Palace hadn't been fatigued from Europa Conference League matches and had one player less in the second half, whether Manchester United could win would have been questionable.

During the game, Carrick specifically reminded Cunha about his positioning, and they had a lengthy, intense discussion on the sidelines. "It was mainly about balance: when to stay central, when to move wide, and when to run behind opponents," Carrick said after the match.

A key reason for Manchester United's ineffective left side in that game was Luke Shaw's injury early in the first half. Mazraoui, who started as left-back in the Africa Cup of Nations Best XI earlier this year, is right-footed. His pairing with Cunha meant the ability to overlap and provide width was virtually nonexistent.

In Carrick's first three matches as Manchester United manager, the starting forwards were all left-footed: Doku, Mbeumo, and Amad Diallo, with Luke Shaw and Martinez also in the backline. By the end of the first half against Crystal Palace, only Mbeumo remained.

In the second half, Cunha was instructed to drop deeper and receive the ball closer to the left flank. He successfully made a run to meet Bruno Fernandes' through pass, earning the penalty that equalized the score.

Against Newcastle, Cunha attempted to play similarly again. The Brazilian international's touch distribution over 90 minutes resembled that from the second half against Crystal Palace, with more touches in deeper and left-sided areas.

Manchester United hoped Cunha would compete with Newcastle's England international Trippier. Statistics show Cunha ended with 68 touches, while Mbeumo, who played 77 minutes, had only 36, and Sesko just 24.

However, Cunha proved unsuitable for playing as a traditional winger. This might not be solely his issue, as sometimes when Cunha received the ball, there was no support around him, and when he couldn't win possession, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw weren't particularly aggressive in contesting second balls.

Ultimately, despite trying to curb his inclination to cut inside, the 26-year-old Cunha couldn't threaten Trippier from the outside, as that isn't his strength.

During Ten Hag's tenure, Manchester United's wing play already leaned toward cutting inside. Accordingly, the Dutchman demanded that when one winger cut inside, the teammate on the opposite side should stretch the play to provide width, making it harder for opponents to defend. This approach worked well when players were in good form and maintained coordination. However, with Rashford's decline after his contract renewal and Luke Shaw's persistent injuries, this strategy faltered.

Currently, Manchester United, after losing Martinez and Doku, also fails to utilize the left-side space effectively. The €40 million winger Amad might regain a starting position due to this. Although he is also a left-footed player playing as a right winger in the current popular style, he at least returns near the touchline to receive the ball and dribble past opponents.

The 23-year-old Amad is the best dribbler in the Manchester United squad, but unfortunately, his form dipped after the Africa Cup of Nations. Another issue for the Ivory Coast winger is his decision-making after dribbling past opponents; he often opts to shoot himself rather than cross. In theory, if the opponent's defense has to stretch to defend wingers on the flanks, the space in the middle could be exploited by Sesko, Mbeumo, and B费等 Manchester United attackers. But if wingers invariably shoot after dribbling past, opponents know how to defend.

Cunha is articulate; this week he stated: "I never thought about Manchester United's negative situation. For me, it's an extraordinary club. I joke: the giant is sleeping, and we need to wake it up."

But Cunha cannot awaken Manchester United's left-side attack. Carrick and his coaching staff hope to address the wing issues through the 11-day preparation training. However, a fundamental solution might truly require recruitment in the summer transfer window.