Benjamin Šeško was absent from Manchester United’s squad for the trip to Fulham after Michael Carrick confirmed the striker is being assessed over an unspecified injury.

Carrick had managed Šeško carefully at the start of the season, using him as a substitute in United’s first four Premier League matches. The 23-year-old was then fit to start the club’s opening Champions League game of the campaign, where he scored in the win over Sabah FK, and he also featured in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Earlier this month, Šeško had sounded upbeat about his recovery, saying: “I think waiting a little bit longer was a great decision, and now it’s healed, so it’s perfect,” Šeško insisted earlier this month.

Carrick’s latest update offered little clarity on the situation. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “He pulled up after the game the other day with a little bit of pain, so we’ll have to see how he is,” was all the Manchester United manager would offer.

In Šeško’s absence, Matheus Cunha kept his place through the middle. That decision left some fans frustrated, particularly with Amad Diallo unavailable on the right and Bryan Mbeumo regularly deployed there instead of being used as a central option.

Cunha brings link play and combines neatly with Bruno Fernandes, but he does not offer the same direct running that Mbeumo provides. Even so, Fulham’s tendency to leave space for opponents this season means United may still find openings without Šeško.

There is also anticipation around Carlos Baleba, who has still not made his Manchester United debut. Signed for $93.7 million (£70 million) and unveiled almost a month ago, he arrived from Brighton with an ankle injury. His first appearance could be confirmed at Craven Cottage.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is facing fresh criticism from within the Manchester United support base after comments he made about Britain and immigration triggered another backlash.

The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club has issued a statement of no confidence in the club co-owner, saying his latest remarks were “deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable.” The group had already condemned similar comments before, when Ratcliffe apologised for what he said was his choice of language. But it now believes little has changed.

“We condemned those comments then,” the MUMSC wrote. “He [Ratcliffe] subsequently apologized for his choice of language. We hoped a lesson had been learned. Clearly, it has not. This week, Sir Jim has again placed immigration and people receiving benefits at the center of his explanation for Britain’s problems, arguing that nobody is ‘tough enough’ to deal with either.

“We find these latest comments deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable.”

Speaking to the BBC at the launch of the European Union’s first carbon capture and storage system on Saturday, Ratcliffe said the U.K. had once been “a fantastic place” and pointed to what he described as the country’s historic strength.

“We had the greatest empire in the world. We were a great people. We won two world wars.”

He then added: “Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem,” Ratcliffe claimed. “Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it.”

The response has not been limited to supporters. U.K. minister for women and equalities Bridget Phillipson also took aim at the Monaco resident, saying: “Of course, we want to see a successful economy that involves supporting our businesses to deliver the very best, but you’ll forgive me if I do take with a pinch of salt what someone who is a tax exile has to say about our country.”

The MUMSC stressed that Manchester United is built on a mix of backgrounds and identities, noting that the club’s “players, staff, stewards, security teams and supporters come from different countries, cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. … Manchester United would not be Manchester United without them. That diversity isn’t a weakness of Manchester United. It is part of Manchester United.”

Its frustration has been sharpened by hopes that Ratcliffe’s arrival in 2024 would bring change after years of dissatisfaction with the Glazer family, whom the group said had “presided over Manchester United’s decline.”

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirović has made clear that he is aiming high, with Manchester United on his radar as speculation continues around Michael Carrick.

Carrick has come under sharper scrutiny after United managed only two wins from six matches in all competitions, with the recent collapse against Brighton & Hove Albion only intensifying the discussion around his position. The United boss has dismissed the idea that his job should already be in doubt, calling it “ridiculous”, but that has done little to calm the wider talk.

Jakirović has now added another layer to the conversation by openly stating his admiration for the United post. When asked whether he would think about a return to Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatian said to RTL: “Where am I? I’m looking towards Manchester United … I’m looking more towards here to get to the biggest clubs because I think you should dream.”

At this stage, Carrick is not in immediate danger. His strong work in the second half of last season, when United climbed into Champions League qualification after being written off under former boss Ruben Amorim, remains an important part of the picture. That recent progress is a major reason club officials are understood to be behind him and expect a recovery.

Even so, modern football leaves little room for comfort. If results continue to go badly, decision-makers at Old Trafford will have to consider every possibility, including life after the current manager.

United’s meeting with Fulham on Sunday offers a chance to steady the mood. Another poor result would not end Carrick’s time in charge, but it would deepen the pressure and make the international break far more uneasy for him.