Premier League Daily Report - 2026-09-22: Manchester United’s slow start leaves Carrick under mounting scrutiny

Manchester United drew 1-1 at Fulham on Sunday, leaving Michael Carrick’s side with one win from their opening five Premier League matches. Matheus Cunha rescued a point at Craven Cottage, but the result extended a difficult opening to the campaign and left United averaging one point per game. The Athletic described the draw as offering only limited relief, with the club’s early-season optimism fading after a run that has also placed greater attention on Carrick’s position and the team’s performances.

The result has not produced an immediate managerial change, but it has intensified the pressure around a club that expected a more sustained recovery under Carrick. United now face a three-week wait for their next league fixture because of the international break, creating time for reflection but also prolonging the scrutiny. The poor start has become a wider issue than isolated results: confidence has been damaged, belief has ebbed and the next sequence of matches will be important in determining whether the season can be stabilised.

Tottenham Hotspur had taken two points from five Premier League matches by Tuesday, leaving Roberto De Zerbi’s side at the foot of the table after a £330 million summer overhaul. Mail Online reported that the club paid £100m for Sandro Tonali, £85m for Mateus Fernandes, £85m for Savio, £52m for Jan Paul van Hecke and £7m for Tosin Adarabioyo. Alan Shearer questioned whether the fees reflected the ability of the new arrivals and said the spending had increased the pressure on the manager.

Andy Robertson, who joined Tottenham from Liverpool during the summer, said the team were still carrying the weight of the previous season. The Scotland captain described the current campaign as the beginning of a new journey, but the league position leaves little room for patience. De Zerbi must now find a settled side and a first league win while integrating a large group of recruits. The scale of the investment means results will be judged against both the table and the expectation created by the transfer fees.

Andy Robertson said Liverpool lost their edge last season after Diogo Jota died in a car crash in July 2025. Speaking on the Stick to Football Podcast, the former Liverpool defender said the squad were heartbroken and that they “didn't care about football” after losing one of their closest friends. Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed while travelling through Spain before Liverpool’s campaign began, when the club were defending their Premier League title.

Robertson’s account offered a stark explanation for Liverpool’s subsequent decline, with the club losing nine of 12 matches between September and November before finishing fifth and dismissing Arne Slot, according to Flashscore. He also described the difficulty faced by new signings arriving at a club consumed by grief. The comments put that season’s results into a human context and explain why performances and adaptation suffered even though Liverpool had entered the campaign as champions. Jota’s death continued to shape the club’s sporting story more than a year later.

Nottingham Forest’s revised City Ground redevelopment plan received approval from Rushcliffe Borough Council last week, according to the Nottingham Post. The project would increase the stadium’s capacity from roughly 31,000 to 45,000 seats, subject to a range of conditions. The proposal marked a significant step towards owner Evangelos Marinakis’s long-standing ambition to expand the ground and create a larger home for the club’s supporters.

The revised capacity remains below the 50,000-seat vision Marinakis outlined in 2024, but it would still represent a substantial increase and give Forest a larger Premier League platform. The club has previously pointed to demand for season tickets and a waiting list as support for expansion. Planning approval moves the scheme closer to delivery, although the conditions attached to the council’s decision mean further work remains before the redevelopment can be completed.

Manchester United have two weeks to persuade teenage prospect JJ Gabriel to remain at Old Trafford, according to Mail Online. Gabriel turns 16 on October 6, when he can legally be represented by an agent and could join a foreign club using his Irish passport. The report said he had already held talks with Real Madrid and Barcelona, while United were resisting a request to cancel his registration and allow him to leave as a free agent.

GiveMeSport reported that Gabriel had not trained since asking to leave after being disappointed at not featuring in United’s Champions League match against FK Sabah. The dispute matters because United could receive only £300,000 in compensation if the player departs under the reported circumstances, despite his potential value. The club’s immediate task is to reach an agreement with Gabriel and his family before the October deadline, while the teenager’s next move could become a significant test of United’s academy retention strategy.