Manchester United went for quality over quantity in the summer transfer window, with a surgical strike made on their midfield.
Casemiro’s departure only added questions surrounding the viability of Man Utd’s engine room, with the Red Devils preparing for the Champions League. So it was hardly a surprise to see three of their four major signings this summer coming in midfield.
Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford has been reintegrated into the squad following back-to-back loans at Aston Villa and Barcelona. The club also cashed in on Rasmus Hojlund, Radek Vitek and Toby Collyer. Jadon Sancho’s and Tyrell Malacia’s unsuccessful stints at Old Trafford also came to acrimonious ends as they left for free.
Where has all that left Michael Carrick’s side for 2026/27? Here, we take a look at their squad depth to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Man Utd’s squad depth
Goalkeeper and defence
Goalkeeper
There are no issues for Man Utd in the goalkeeper department. Senne Lammens enjoyed a very promising debut campaign at Old Trafford. Behind him, Karl Darlow has arrived as deputy after impressing at Leeds United last season. Veteran Tom Heaton and academy graduate Dermot Mee are waiting in the wings if required.
Full-back
Man Utd are pretty much unchanged at full-back from last season. Is Luke Shaw still up to the task on the left? Well, he clocked the highest sprint speed of any player during their 5-2 thrashing of Ipswich Town at 34.4km/h. That ranks him 15th overall in the Premier League at this early stage of the season. For all the doubts around the 34-time England international, he’s been nothing but reliable at Old Trafford. Including when covering at centre-back.
Behind Shaw, it looks like 19-year-old Harry Amass will get opportunities to impress. Patrick Dorgu could also be recalled from the more advanced position he’s enjoyed of late.
On the right, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot have started one league game each, with the latter performing far more convincingly than the former. However, the fact that both can cover at left-back could prove invaluable to Carrick.
Centre-back
The Red Devils are also unchanged at centre-back, having boasted the sixth-best defensive record in the Premier League last season.
Harry Maguire looked like he was falling down the pecking order, ready for an Old Trafford exit. But he has re-established himself as one of the first names on Carrick’s teammates. And he was among Man Utd’s most consistent performers last season.
Lisandro Martinez is Maguire’s first-choice partner. But this could be risky given the Argentine has missed 108 games for club and country through injury since 2022. Leny Yoro will step in should either Maguire or Martinez pick up a knock or need resting. Fellow youngster Ayden Heaven looks very promising and will look for more opportunities.
That all leaves Matthijs de Ligt — signed for £42.9m in the summer of 2024 — as a potential fifth-choice centre-back. The Dutchman is another to be suffering chronically from injury problems recently.
Man Utd aren’t blessed with elite defenders, but there’s enough experience and quality there to compete in the upper echelons of the Premier League. And talents like Yoro and Heaven may yet develop into world-class operators.
Midfield
Defensive/central midfield
As mentioned, this is where Man Utd diverted all of their budget this summer. But what did £150m of investment gain them?
Youri Tielemans had a tough debut in the 2-0 defeat to Hull City, but the Belgian looked much improved against Ipswich Town. He created a match-high four chances against the Tractor Boys and covered more distance than any player on the pitch. The Belgian also completed 92% of his passes and made two tackles.
Tielemans is an expert at progressing the ball from deep and will provide Man Utd with precision and a great platform for building attacks. But while he reads the game well to make interceptions, he certainly won’t bring the same level of aggression and work rate that Casemiro did defensively.
But that is exactly why Man Utd moved late in the window to secure the signing of Carlos Baleba. A target last summer, the Red Devils finally got their man this time around. And he should make a great partner for Tielemans thanks to his elite physicality and defensive strength. Baleba sat second among Brighton and Hove Albion players last season for interceptions per 90 minutes (1.57) and third for possessions won in the middle third (3.36). Baleba’s progressive strength lies in his ball-carrying, giving Carrick balance and variety at the base of midfield.
Andrey Santos makes up the rest of Man Utd’s financial investment this summer. The Brazilian was certainly a surprise arrival from Chelsea earlier this summer. But he provides Carrick with a dynamic engine and pressing intelligence through the middle.
All of this is without mentioning Kobbie Mainoo. The Englishman is fully back in the fold under Carrick and impressed after starting against Ipswich last time out.
With youngster Tyler Fletcher in the fold and Manuel Ugarte to come back from a long-term injury, Man Utd are equipped with far more depth and dynamism in the deeper midfield areas this season, which should prime them to compete on four fronts. The only question that remains is whether or not they have enough individual quality when going up against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Attacking midfield
There are no worries for Manchester United here.
Bruno Fernandes set the single-season Premier League assist record in 2025/26. And, after being the only real silver lining in the opening defeat to Hull, he kick-started Man Utd’s campaign with a hat-trick and an assist in the 5-2 demolition of Ipswich.
Behind Fernandes, Carrick can call upon Mason Mount as a pressing machine and workhorse. Jack Fletcher — twin brother of Tyler — will also look for opportunities once the calendar becomes congested.
However, for all the big moments that are to come, Fernandes sets the standard. He’s one of the best in class in his position and Man Utd’s most important player.
Forwards
Wingers
Marcus Rashford’s return to prominence at Man Utd has certainly been an unlikely turnaround. But the Red Devils really didn’t have much choice given how short they are on the left.
If the England international hadn’t been reintegrated by Carrick, they would face the prospect of having to field Amad Diallo or the inexperienced Shea Lacey on the left, with the duo far more comfortable on the right.
Rashford aside, Patrick Dorgu has proven effective as a winger despite being a natural left-back and should continue to serve as a deputy and rotational option moving forward.
As mentioned, Man Utd have Diallo and Lacey to call upon on the opposite flank. However, both will play second fiddle to Bryan Mbeumo, who is already off the mark this season, having registered 12 goals and three assists in 34 appearances during a promising 2025/26 campaign.
The likes of Mbeumo, Rashford and Diallo certainly give Carrick plenty of pace, dynamism and goal threat. But Man Utd fans will look for the trio to become far more consistent this season as they seek to challenge for the title and in the Champions League.
Strikers
This is an area of true depth for Man Utd in terms of bodies, but one where they need much more consistent output.
Matheus Cunha has been the starting striker in each of Man Utd’s two league games so far this season, and while he hasn’t scored yet, he did provide an assist against Ipswich. However, his 10 Premier League goals last season simply weren’t enough for a striker who cost the club more than £60m.
Goals aside, Cunha is excellent at linking play and providing for his teammates, while he’s a willing runner out of possession. But if he doesn’t start putting the ball in the net, Benjamin Sesko — a super-sub for Man Utd last season — will be nipping at his heels.
Joshua Zirkzee also looks set to play a role after seeing a loan approach from Everton rejected. But he is yet to see the pitch so far this season and has scored just five goals in 56 league appearances for Man Utd to date.