Old Trafford on Sunday (2pm) has an unusual edge: it feels alive again, but it also feels like it’s still deciding what it is. Michael Carrick’s early spell has brought a sharp uptick in intensity and clarity, punctuated by wins over Manchester City and Arsenal. The table has tightened around that momentum too, and the danger now is the most football-shaped trap of all: believing the hard part is done.
Carrick has been emphatic that it isn’t. “Just because we are at home, taking anything for granted is bang out of order,” he said this week, framing Fulham as the kind of opponent who punishes even small dips in focus. His language has been that of a manager trying to protect a spark from the wind, insisting United will “deal with the game in front of us and do whatever it takes to come out on top.”
United’s team news is shaped by two forwards in two different directions. Joshua Zirkzee is back training, which Carrick described as “good news,” and he was keen to shut down transfer noise in the same breath: “He trained yesterday for the first time and that’s as far as it goes with me and Josh. I’m looking forward to working with him and nothing more needs to be said.” At the other end, Patrick Dorgu’s injury is a blow to a side that has looked more athletic and aggressive with him involved. Carrick confirmed the issue looks “a little bit more on the serious,” adding: “It’ll be a few weeks for that.”
Fulham travel with their own mix of stability and change. Marco Silva has built a side that can play, compete, and manage difficult spells without losing their shape. They also arrive amid transfer window noise, having brought in Oscar Bobb. Silva sounded genuinely pleased with the deal and very clear on the thinking behind it. “I am very pleased, definitely, because I think it is a very, very good move from ourselves,” he said. Silva called Bobb “a clear replacement” and added: “Very talented player, quality, individual quality as well.” He also tempered expectations about an instant debut, noting the winger’s match fitness means Sunday is likely “too soon.”
That blend of recruitment and realism is classic Silva: ambition with a seatbelt.
Tactically, Fulham will try to be the team that turns United’s enthusiasm into impatience. They’ll want to move the ball well enough to prevent United setting those pressing traps that have fuelled the recent revival, and they’ll try to draw United’s midfield out of its lanes so that runners can arrive late into the box. With Harry Wilson carrying goal threat and Fulham generally comfortable in tight games, they won’t mind if this turns into a contest of nerve and decision-making.
For United, the question is whether they can sustain the emotional energy of two statement wins and still play with the same discipline. Carrick has spoken about consistency as the real elite skill, pointing to the need to cope “emotionally with the ups and downs of what each game brings and moving on to the next.” That’s the warning label on this fixture: Fulham are good at making you work for rhythm, then punishing you the moment you try to force it.
There’s also the officiating factor. John Brooks is the referee, with James Bell on VAR. United’s crowd can turn small moments into big momentum, and Fulham are experienced enough to know how to manage those swings, both with and without the ball.
This has the shape of a match that will be decided by small details: the quality of United’s rest-defence when they attack, Fulham’s ability to play through the first press, and which side is more ruthless when the first clear chance finally appears. For United it’s a test of maturity. For Fulham it’s a test of whether their method can travel to the loudest theatre and still keep its lines.
