"I can't see a way that this gets better for Manchester United," admitted BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater on the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast following Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick's side, who have taken just one win and four draws from their opening eight Premier League games of the season, are currently one point above the relegation zone.

"I don't think it has ever been as bad as it is right now for Manchester United in the modern era," Drinkwater said.

"The club has sacked managers in the past when things weren't going well.

"Going back to the final days of Ruben Amorim, we all know he deserved to get sacked. We were watching his team, thinking: 'If we could just play Kobbie Mainoo and change the system, things will change' - and things did change because those things did happen.

"But this is a situation where I can't see a way that this gets better for Manchester United. What are they going to do? Sell all the players and buy a load of new ones? That isn't going to happen.

"Every team around us strengthened massively in the areas they need to, whereas the people who make the decisions have refused to spend money on a defence which clearly needs improving.

"It is total ineptitude from the people above making the decisions.

"No manager fixes this."

United fan Jordan Smith added: "Do you know what I miss? The joy of watching a game. We are in the Champions League for goodness sake, for the first time in years, we should be buzzing!

"It's got to a point where us fans are left questioning when it got to a point where we didn't expect to beat, or at least compete, against Bournemouth at home.

"The fact Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez were left out, it was almost like Michael Carrick was saying: 'This is probably going to be my last game so I'm going to show them what they need to be shown'.

"They need to stick with someone like him. You could see he was nearly in tears walking around the pitch at full-time, that isn't a normal thing."