Manchester United are in the Premier League relegation zone following a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford

Manchester United duo Patrick Dorgu and Shea Lacey have both highlighted the need for togetherness at the club amid pressure on manager Michael Carrick. United will spend the international break in the Premier League relegation zone after a poor start to the season.

The Reds fought back from two goals behind twice in Sunday’s clash against Aston Villa. Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans saw them make it 2-2 before half-time after being 2-0 down after just three-and-a-half minutes.

But United quickly found themselves 4-2 down in the second half. As the game seemingly drifted away, Joshua Zirkzee scored in the 92nd minute to make it 4-3.

Carrick’s side then drew level again when Dorgu turned in a corner in the 96th minute. It sparked scenes of celebration around Old Trafford as a point was rescued.

Despite the late equaliser, the draw wasn’t enough to lift them out of the bottom three. United are in 18th place in the table, one point adrift of Coventry City and Nottingham Forest.

Following the match, Dorgu wrote on Instagram: “We stay United. Happy to be back on the pitch, all glory to God.”

Lacey, who also came on as a second-half substitute, similarly wrote: “We need to stick together. Thank you, Old Trafford.”

The calls for unity come amid speculation over Carrick’s future. Latest reports suggested that club chiefs were set to meet once more on Monday to discuss the next steps.

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Dorgu said it was down to the players to fight for the manager, and repeated his message of unity. "I don't feel happy - we are in a bad situation,” he said.

“We need to fight together to get out of it. Draw better than a loss but we had the better opportunities.

"Everyone needs to look at themselves and ask if they are doing enough. We need to fight for the manager, for the club and get out of this together.

"Of course it hurts [to be in relegation zone], there's a lot of games and we need everyone to come back sharp from the international break and start getting wins."