"You're dead right. I can't argue with that."

Michael Carrick's response was to the point.

The question that prompted it in his pre-match news conference at a rain-lashed Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como concerned his side's failure to keep clean sheets.

It was put to Carrick that it would help if United could manage some shutouts, and he was asked if he had figured out the problem.

United have kept the opposition out just once in 10 games this season, against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK last month.

The failure to sign competition for Luke Shaw is a stick that has been used to beat Carrick and sporting director Jason Wilcox.

There is sympathy amid the agent fraternity for Wilcox, who was given a budget to work to that many in the game felt was inadequate to address United's needs.

There is a theory that the £50m spent to acquire Andrey Santos from Chelsea should have been diverted elsewhere.

With Santos sitting next to him as he spoke to the media on Tuesday, it was hardly a topic Carrick was going to engage with.

"When we've got injuries at different stages, we can always look at what could have been done and where we could have improved," Carrick said.

"I spoke to you about making the best of the transfer window in the situation we had. This man next to us [Santos] was a big part of that. I'm delighted to have him.

"We had to make decisions in the summer. We did what we could do and made the best of it."