Ancelotti Recalls Joao Pedro as Carrick Faces Pressure with Cunha

Carlo Ancelotti has moved to correct what many in Brazil saw as a glaring World Cup mistake. Michael Carrick may now have to do something similar in Manchester.

The Brazil coach has recalled Chelsea forward Joao Pedro after his puzzling omission from the summer squad, a decision that looked even stranger as the Selecao limped out in the last 16. Pedro’s return comes on the back of a superb debut season at Stamford Bridge and a blistering start to the new Premier League campaign, leaving Ancelotti with no choice but to bring him back for this month’s friendlies against Australia.

One high-profile name is missing. Neymar, whose controversial inclusion at the World Cup divided opinion, is out. So is Matheus Cunha. The Manchester United attacker impressed for Brazil at the tournament and shone for Carrick’s side last season, but his form has tailed off badly in his second year at Old Trafford.

Carrick has persisted with Cunha through the middle, mirroring the role he played for Brazil in the summer and for long stretches of his debut United campaign. The experiment is coming under increasing fire.

Scholes leads the criticism

Paul Scholes, never shy of a blunt assessment, believes United are handicapping themselves by using Cunha as a No.9.

The former midfielder watched Benjamin Sesko come off the bench against Everton on Sunday, replace Cunha as the central striker and promptly score. To Scholes, the contrast was stark.

“I felt it was really timid against Everton,” he said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. “There was no aggression, and Everton were there for the taking. There was so much space, and they never went for the throat.

“The centre-forward position is a bit of an issue because he is not playing Sesko. He is a focal point. It is very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre forward.

“With Cunha, we don’t really know what he is, a No.10 or a wide player but he’s definitely not a No.9 and watching United without a No.9 is a struggle.”

Scholes’ view echoes a growing feeling among supporters: United look like a side built to play with a proper striker, and they currently have one sitting on the bench.

‘Total zero’ – Slovenian media pile in

If the criticism in England is pointed, the reaction in Slovenia is ferocious.

Sesko’s national media are adamant. Their man has to start.

“Sesko flies on the shameful numbers of the Brazilian – fans firmly against Carrick,” blasted leading outlet Ekipa.

The assessment of Cunha’s display was brutal. “He completely failed, showing a catastrophic performance. A total zero. Cunha ended with zero shots on target, zero assists, zero dribbles. He lost the ball 11 times and was beaten in every aerial duel.”

Those numbers underline what many at Old Trafford felt watching him labour up front. No threat, no hold-up play, no spark.

Yet Carrick’s stance, according to the Slovenian report, is that Sesko remains more effective from the bench. That line is enraging supporters who see a classic penalty-box striker being overlooked while a misfiring forward continues to lead the line.

“Sesko has to play from the first minute, they’re yelling,” Ekipa added.

A brutal week for Cunha

The timing could hardly be worse for Cunha.

First, Ancelotti leaves him out of the Brazil squad while restoring Joao Pedro. Then, days later, his club role comes under intense scrutiny as Sesko strengthens his claim with a goal and the numbers behind Cunha’s struggles go public.

With Bryan Mbeumo virtually locked in on the right and Marcus Rashford looking like a man on a mission back on the left at his boyhood club, there is only one obvious place to make room for Sesko: through the middle.

That points to a likely demotion for Cunha when United return to Champions League duty against Sabah on Thursday night.

Two drops in two days. From Brazil’s front line to United’s bench.

For a 27-year-old who ended last season as one of Carrick’s key men, the message is clear: adapt, or watch someone else seize the No.9 shirt.