The Red Devils sit down in 12th position, having won one, drawn two and lost two of their five games in the 2026/27 season, and the rumblings of discontent have started regarding the direction that Michael Carrick is taking the team in.
Carrick under pressure
This is the same Michael Carrick who was like a breath of fresh air in the dugout last season as he masterminded his side's brilliant finish to the season, leading to Champions League qualification.
A late, late equaliser against Fulham recently did nothing to silence the doubters, who will point to the five points accrued so far being their joint fewest at this stage of a Premier League season (along with their start under Louis van Gaal in 2014/15).
United's opponents are even worse off, and Roberto De Zerbi needs to get some points on the board quickly, or else he'll likely be ahead of Carrick in the queue at the job centre.
Tottenham are yet to win a game, have only scored two goals so far this season in the league, and face an opponent who they've lost to more times than any other in Premier League history, including 25 defeats at Old Trafford. Only Everton, at Arsenal, have lost more away matches (26) to one opponent.
Tottenham have accrued the fewest points in 2026
They're rock bottom of the table on two points, and despite the Italian having saved them from relegation on the last day of the 2025/26 campaign, Spurs have seemingly gone backwards this season.
If they don't manage a win in this fixture, they'll equal their start in 1955/56, and then just have 2008/09 (first eight matches) and 1912/13 (first 12 matches) as the only seasons where they've failed to win more at the beginning of a league campaign.
De Zerbi isn't one to hang around if he thinks that his methods are not working, so his side will have to throw the kitchen sink at United if they want to earn themselves a first three points of the season at Old Trafford.
Given that Spurs have only earned 18 points in the calendar year to date, the worst of any ever-present Premier League side, that could be a tall order.
Mbeumo and Fernandes vital to United's success
In this same fixture last season, two goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes eased the Red Devils to a win, and they'd surely settle for the same again.
However, the hosts will have to ensure that complacency doesn't creep into their game, as the Lilywhites haven't lost to United in five of the last six matches in all competitions (W4, D1), the Premier League defeat last season being Spurs' only one against the Red Devils since 2024.
Fernandes, yet again, has been a key player for his team, with his three goals scored so far being the most of any United player.
Along with Mbeumo, he's had the most total shots this season (19), and has also created 13 chances (joint-most with Marcus Rashford), whilst the striker has seven goals in his last six appearances against the North Londoners.
Spurs have been disjointed under De Zerbi
Jan Paul van Hecke and Conor Gallagher are the only Spurs players to find the net in 26/27, with the former having made the most total passes so far (390), indicating where a lot of the North Londoners' problems could lie.
They've been disjointed as a unit, and playing through the lines has consistently proven to be a problem for them.
Record signing Sandro Tonali can at least point to having had the most shots (eight), but with Savio having the most on target with just three, that also sums up Spurs' season in a nutshell.
The latter has also created the most chances (nine), with his teammates being unable to profit in the games played to date.
Final 15 minutes could be interesting
Both teams have an identical 88% collective pass completion rate, and with 2,728 total passes, Tottenham aren't that far off United's 2,850.
Keep an eye on the final 15 minutes in this one, as that's when both sides have been at their best in terms of goals scored, though the hosts have also conceded the most during this period too.
If the North Londoners are still in the game by then, they could well snatch something late on.
The Lilywhites have had more than their fair share of injury problems over the past couple of seasons, but it's their hosts who are suffering in this regard at present, potentially handing De Zerbi and his squad a lifeline.
Kobbie Mainoo, Rashford and Benjamin Sesko are all doubtful to play any part; Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui were injured on international duty, and both Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt still look a while away from their first starts of the season.
Carlos Baleba could finally make his debut in one piece of good news for Carrick.
De Zerbi will hope to get the green light on both Micky van de Ven and van Hecke upon their returns from the international break, though Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Mykhailo Mudryk are all ruled out.