Bruno Fernandes previously acted as Manchester United's savior when his arrival helped salvage Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's campaign, but the skipper now draws negative attention under Michael Carrick.
The Red Devils have endured their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign, earning only seven points from their first eight matches.
Consequently, Carrick faces severe pressure following a disappointing 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth yesterday.
Despite this, recovery remains possible, and similarities to Solskjaer's early tenure are clear.
Should United defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they will match their opening record from the 2019/20 season, when they secured ten points after nine games.
Carrick served on Solskjaer's coaching staff during that period.
Earlier, during the Norwegian's initial three-and-a-half months in charge, United gathered more Premier League points than any other club, surpassing both Manchester City and Liverpool between mid-December 2018 and late March 2019, a major feat during a season where City finished with 98 points and Liverpool with 97.
However, once Solskjaer secured the permanent manager position, United triumphed in just two of their next 12 fixtures across all competitions, matching their current record at the start of this season.
That downward spiral persisted into the 2019/20 term before a 1-1 draw against eventual champions Liverpool in United's tenth league fixture provided a brief boost.
Following the Liverpool fixture, they dropped only one of their next nine matches, yet the progress proved temporary as four defeats in the subsequent seven games compelled the club to enter the January transfer market, prompting the acquisition of Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder moved from Sporting Lisbon and completely altered United's campaign.
He claimed the club's Player of the Season trophy despite arriving midway through the year, highlighting the speed at which he became their most influential contributor.
United concluded the 2019/20 season undefeated across their final 14 Premier League fixtures, winning nine and drawing five to secure third place and entry into the Champions League.
Reaching Europe's premier tournament for 2027/28 might require a similarly remarkable turnaround, though this squad makes the objective increasingly challenging.
New additions in January could still alter the situation, mirroring the impact Fernandes made six years prior.
Nevertheless, the individual who previously assisted in rescuing United now sits at the heart of a new emergency.
Fernandes delivered some of the finest performances of his career under Carrick last term, recording 21 assists and nine goals.
His 30 goal involvements matched his output from 2020/21, establishing him as a joint-record holder for goal involvements by a United midfielder in Premier League history.
Yet the bond between the captain and the manager currently appears strained.
Following United's 4-1 loss to Como in Italy on Wednesday, Fernandes publicly questioned the team's strategy, suggesting they needed greater bravery when pressing opponents.
He informed TNT Sports: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man. But sometimes when you give too much of the ball to these teams, they get confidence. They have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot, make people frustrated."
Queried on whether United applied incorrect tactics, Fernandes added: "That's on the manager and staff to see, not me. I just said that I think sometimes we have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.
"I think we started on the wrong foot again, and they scored very early. Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements without the ball, not many things going our way.
"Conceding the goal very early makes us go into the game with a mood of defeat, and it's very difficult to get out of that at the moment.">
Such statements originated from the club captain and constituted a public critique of the manager's tactical approach.
Subsequently, Fernandes moved to the bench for yesterday's fixture against Bournemouth and did not feature, while United supporters booed players off the pitch and club legend Carrick received applause from sections of the audience throughout.
The contrast proved stark, as the captain who once arrived to aid a struggling United squad now observes from the substitutes' bench while fans turn against the team.
The central question remains whether the board still trusts Carrick to fix the situation, or if another replacement approaches at Old Trafford.
