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Manchester United’s poor start to the season continued on Saturday in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford and Senne Lammens has now spoken out in the aftermath

Senne Lammens has revealed Michael Carrick has been ‘hammering’ Manchester United to improve their defending as a team - albeit that fell on deaf ears against Spurs. The Red Devils continued their disappointing start to the season against the North London side.

Bryan Mbeumo had given United the lead before Spurs were reduced to 10 men following Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card. But Spurs levelled matters in stoppage time through Dominic Solanke.

It leaves United with just one win from their opening six games. Speaking after Saturday’s draw, goalkeeper Lammens said: "It's very disappointing.

"Because you find a way to get the game, to get the advantage, to score a goal, to get 1-0 up against 10 men, so that's the position you want to be in.

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"So it's very disappointing to get the last goal against us at the end. We need to learn from it a lot, because these are the games you have to try to pull towards yourself. To win these games is very important if you want to have a good season, so it's very important for us to learn from this and to move on, to get these games behind us."

One of the Red Devils’ weaknesses this season has been their defence, having conceded nine goals in the league already. And Lammens has revealed that boss Carrick has been demanding improvement at the back.

"I think sometimes in the end it comes down to maybe here and there, maybe a mistake from someone, but it doesn't really start with that," the Belgian added

"I think it's a team thing. The manager has been hammering a lot about defending as a team, being able to put pressure on the opposition team, especially on the crosses.

"And I think today was better, but then you see in the end, one good cross and one good header, and you can lose the game like that, or the win can go away like that.

"So I get what you're saying, but I think we've been trying to make a difference there, and I think it's been better already, but yeah, it's a pity that today, especially in the end like that, the win slipped away from us."

United will be back in action in midweek as they take on Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the Champions League ahead of a clash with Leeds United at Elland Road.

Manchester United extended their poor start to the season against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday with a couple of players in particular coming in for criticism following the result

Michael Carrick has been told that Manchester United’s midfield is costing them despite their huge revamp. The Red Devils spent over £150m across the summer transfer window in transforming their midfield.

Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos arrived from Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively for a combined fee of £85m, while Carlos Baleba was signed from Brighton. Their arrivals followed the decision to let Brazilian midfielder Casemiro depart the club at the end of his deal.

Neither Santos nor Baleba started in Saturday’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur, the latter only introduced as a second-half substitute for his debut. Tielemans in the meantime lasted under an hour, having been selected to start alongside Kobbie Mainoo.

And former Liverpool star Danny Murphy has suggested that Carrick’s midfield selection was the main issue for the Red Devils. Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “There was a lethargy about Manchester United. This midfield can’t control games.

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“It’s partly tactical, partly personnel. It’s not just about the two central boys. These are both technically gifted boys who want to be on the ball going forwards. It got worse as the second-half went on.

“I don’t understand it because we saw at the end of last season Manchester United being much more organised, much more difficult to play against.

“It gets worse. This is legs, this is physicality. Tielemans, Mainoo, they’re not able to do the yards on the big pitches against a three-man midfield.

“If they were playing against a more competent, confident side today, they’d have been beat comfortably. They’ve got to get back to basics, be hard to beat, close the spaces, maybe drop a forward player into midfield to create a three, a more solid three.

“But if they play like that against good teams, they’re going to get cut right open because that’s impossible.”

United’s draw against Spurs leaves them languishing in 12th in the Premier League table and just one win from their opening six games.

Murphy was not the only one to pinpoint United’s midfield as a major issue. United icon Gary Neville said: "Tielemans and Mainoo, I think we've seen enough of it now.

"I'm not calling time on it because that's probably too drastic, but I've seen enough to think that's not a midfield that's dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League.

"I think they are both good players individually. But sometimes you just have players that don't quite knit together or don't quite suit each other."

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Rock-bottom Tottenham facing familiar question after huge error under Roberto De Zerbi

Tottenham Hotspur spent heavily in the summer to avoid another battle against relegation under Roberto De Zerbi but things appear to have gotten even worse for the North London side

The huge summer spending spree was supposed to ensure it did not happen again. Even the most pessimistic Tottenham fan would struggle to believe things would not improve this season - and yet the Premier League table makes for grim reading.

Surely no-one thought at the start of the season that Tottenham would be in this state after five games. One bookie has them 13/2 to go down.

And it begs the familiar question: are Tottenham too good to go down?

Tottenham have hit a new low because they have hit rock bottom. They are winless, are bottom of the table for the duration of the three week international window. It’s unthinkable. First game back on October 10? Manchester United away. Thanks for that.

After two consecutive 17th place finishes, Roberto De Zerbi was supposed to oversee a major lift in the club’s fortunes.

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Never again. That was the message after last season’s near miss saw them flirt with relegation which, in reality, was never really a possibility the previous year. They finished 13 points above the drop zone in 2024/25.

Last season, it was genuinely too close for comfort. Two points ahead of West Ham and safety was only secured on the final day.

They spent around £380m on huge signings in the summer, proven Premier League players and the vision was that De Zerbi would oversee a dramatic change in fortunes.

Sandro Tonali was the biggest buy, Matheus Fernandes was not far behind but they also brought in Omar Marmoush, Savio, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Marcos Senesi.

There is a lot of quality there. A complete squad overhaul. And maybe that is part of the problem because it is hard to gel so many new players for them to click straight away.

They deliberately recruited big characters like Robertson and Tosin to address the distinct lack of leadership. Again, smart business.

Tottenham undoubtedly overpaid on some players but, after those back-to-back 17th place finishes, they were always going to have to in terms of contracts and also probably fees.

That is how you persuade selling clubs and players to join a club which is not in Europe and spent the last two years floundering in the lower reaches of the table.

The one thing they did not do was buy an out-and-out forward and went into the season relying on Dominic Solanke. And that has to be an error. Perhaps the biggest of all. Solanke looks so short of confidence.

They have some versatile forwards in there but even Marmoush is not exactly a classic No9. They are creating chances - but are just not putting them away.

Against Aston Villa on Saturday, they should have been 3-0 up at half time. But the lack of confidence, the nerves in the stadium among the fans and the doubts among the players made life so difficult.

You have to question the logic of going to Australia and New Zealand in pre-season and once a club does that you cannot expect too much sympathy when it comes to players being fatigued and tired - especially after a World Cup year.

The fans have backed the team and, even against Villa, they were loud and supportive as Tottenham started well… and then faded away and crumbled again.

They were beset by basic defensive errors. The defending on Nicolas Jackson’s goal was so bad that no wonder it left De Zerbi tearing his hair out.

But while De Zerbi brings passion, attacking ideals and determination to the table, he also brings a history of losing the plot and meltdowns. Nine clubs in 13 years.

Let’s make no mistake about it, if this was a more established manager, they would be facing questions about his future. Tottenham cannot be bottom after five games. At least they scored against Villa.

But De Zerbi was brought in to save an ailing club last season, that was mission accomplished and then they backed him in the market. You have to - and they will - stick with him.

It has, however, exposed a club with more problems than we first thought. There is simply no way Spurs will go down this season. No chance. They have got way too much quality. In answer to the question: too good to go down? Absolutely.

But any idea that they could push for Europe - I had them in the top half and looking upwards - now seems wildly optimistic and naive. But this is a going to be a long and somewhat painful road back to where the club feels it belongs.

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