Manchester United’s season took another ugly turn as Bournemouth strolled to a 3-0 win at Old Trafford, leaving Michael Carrick with more questions to answer about his future. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox watched from the stands as United fell apart again, with the problems on the pitch beginning to look like a reflection of the mess around the club.The defeat left United 14th in the Premier League table with eight points from eight matches.

Things were bad enough already, but the biggest talking point came before kick-off, when captain Bruno Fernandes was left on the bench after questioning Carrick’s tactics following the 4-1 defeat to Como.Fernandes had argued that United needed to press higher and take more risks, making it clear that the decision to sit back rested with the manager and his coaching staff.Harry Maguire wore the armband, while Fernandes watched from the sidelines as United struggled to keep Bournemouth at bay. The visitors needed just three goals to expose United’s problems.

Rayan opened the scoring in the 38th minute after being set up by Justin Kluivert. Three minutes later, Leny Yoro slipped while trying to deal with a ball in behind, allowing Adrien Truffert to square for Marcus Tavernier to make it 2-0.

Evanilson then delivered the knockout blow in the 71st minute, racing past Senne Lammens before finishing into the far corner.CARRICK RUNS OUT OF ANSWERSCarrick tried to shake things up at half-time, bringing on Matheus Cunha for Youri Tielemans. Joshua Zirkzee later replaced Carlos Baleba, while teenager Shea Lacey came on for Amad Diallo.

But nothing changed. United still looked short of ideas, and Fernandes remained an unused substitute as the team failed to mount a serious fightback.That is where the wider problem comes in.

Carrick deserves scrutiny for his tactics and team selection, but his options were limited. Benjamin Sesko was unavailable through injury, while other absentees further weakened the squad.

United had no proven goalscoring option on the bench who could be trusted to turn the game around.For all the talk of managerial decisions, the lack of depth was there for everyone to see.A CRISIS BIGGER THAN THE MANAGERThe questions over recruitment have been building for weeks. Lisandro Martinez had already criticised the club’s leadership after the Atletico Madrid defeat, saying he expected more from Wilcox and wanted United to bring in players capable of competing at the highest level.

His comments, followed by Fernandes’ criticism, suggest the frustration runs deeper than one poor result or one manager.Carrick had accepted responsibility for United’s slump before this match and insisted he believed he could turn things around. But with Berrada and Wilcox watching another defeat unfold, the pressure is only going to grow.

Since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have gone through David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. Carrick could soon find himself added to that list.Would sacking another manager solve anything?

It might offer a temporary reset, but it would not fix the recruitment failures, the lack of squad depth or the growing signs of frustration among players. United are 14th after eight matches, and the hierarchy has a decision to make.

Is Carrick the man who can pull this team out of trouble, or is he simply the latest manager being asked to pay for problems that started long before he arrived?- Ends