In the early weeks of a season that promised renewal, Manchester United find themselves at a crossroads familiar to clubs caught between ambition and reality. Manager Michael Carrick, in only his fourth league match at the helm, carries the weight of a stumbling start to Craven Cottage on Sunday, where Fulham — themselves searching for a first league win under Alvaro Arbeloa — await. It is the kind of fixture that history favors United decisively, yet history offers cold comfort when the present demands answers. Before the international break imposes its pause, both clubs must reckon with who