Manchester United travel to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday night desperate for a result, with manager Michael Carrick under mounting pressure

Michael Carrick is facing one of the biggest games of his Manchester United tenure on Wednesday night. If the rain allows the match to go ahead, then he simply must deliver a win.

United have won just two of their 10 games across all competitions this season and arrive in northern Italy on a six-game winless run. It should also be noted that their last victory came against Champions League debutants Sabah, while their first of the campaign was against newly-promoted Ipswich.

After landing the job on the strength of his stint as interim boss, Carrick is rapidly running out of the goodwill he had banked last season. On Wednesday he will be faced with Cesc Fabregas - a familiar opponent from his playing days. This time he will need to beat him as a manager in order to quiet the speculation swirling in stormy Como.

As he's already learned this season, that won't be a straightforward task. Here are the biggest issues at United that Carrick must overcome, starting now.

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Injury crisis

The most obvious problem is availability. Carrick is without NINE first-team stars for the Como game: Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven and Marcus Rashford have joined long-term absentees Patrick Dorgu, Benjamin Sesko and Manuel Ugarte on the injury list, while Leny Yoro is suspended after being sent off in the 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid last week.

Most of the aforementioned players would be in Carrick's first-choice starting XI. The injury crisis has struck at the worst possible time and forced Carrick to tread carefully when asked in his pre-match press conference about United's failure to sign a left-back in the summer transfer window.

"I think when we have injuries, you can always look at what could have been done and what we could have improved," he said diplomatically, no doubt acutely aware of being seen to echo Martinez's fiery criticism of the United hierarchy from last week.

Injuries mean Carrick has little option but to throw Matthijs de Ligt into the fray immediately after returning from an 11-month absence due to a back problem. It is a nightmare situation for a defence that has been struggling enough, even when more players were available.

Leaky defence

United's only clean sheet this season came against Azerbaijani minnows Sabah. They have shipped 15 goals in 10 games in total and have been completely unable to shut up shop.

"There's definitely parts of our game that we have to improve to make things easier, fully aware of that," Carrick said on Tuesday when asked about the issue. It's one thing being aware of it - how can you not be - it's another entirely to address it.

United did not sign a single defender in the summer, preferring to splash £155million on central midfielders. The result is a stale backline, with Shaw and Harry Maguire, in particular, appearing to be long past their best.

Harry Amass - a player United were open to loaning in the summer - could come in at left-back, with Shaw and Dorgu out, while Noussair Mazraoui's experience could be crucial alongside Maguire against Como, who have been in good goalscoring form this season, netting four against RB Leipzig and two against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

'Toxic culture'

Carrick could have done without ex-United boss Erik ten Hag giving his first interview since his sacking two years ago this week. The Dutchman had plenty to say, including accusing the club's hierarchy of fuelling a "toxic culture" inside the dressing room by giving players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and Raphael Varane too much influence.

Carrick rejected those claims, stressing the "togetherness" and "determination" of his players. But the fact Martinez felt compelled to call out United director of football Jason Wilcox after the 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid last week suggests Ten Hag may have a point.

United could really do with the sort of stand-out individual performance Bruno Fernandes has previously made a habit of tonight. The United skipper has four goals and one assist in 10 games this season, but all of those came in their two wins against Sabah and Ipswich.

Midfield balance

United spent all their cash this summer to bring in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba and are yet to see the benefit. The balance in midfield was a constant problem last season, with Ruben Amorim unwilling to field Mainoo alongside Casemiro and Fernandes, and Carrick is yet to find the solution.

Carrick has fielded his three new midfielders together in the past two games, but it's yet to click. With Mainoo injured, Tielemans has been handed a more forward-thinking role, with Baleba and Santos sitting in front of the defence. It is a combination that will no doubt need time to settle. But, unfortunately for Carrick, time is not a luxury he currently has.