Man Utd 2026-27 Squad Audit: Where Michael Carrick Still Needs Reinforcements

Manchester United will be back in the Champions League next season, but what areas do they still need to bolster to challenge for major honours?

After a troubling 2024-25 season, 2025-26 restored a semblance of optimism at Manchester United, especially after January saw Michael Carrick replace the much-maligned Ruben Amorim in the dugout.

Carrick led United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, with that only the fifth time they’ve come in the top three since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

But that can’t be the end game. United aspire to return to the glory days of Ferguson’s reign, and to reach the level of the teams actually winning titles, they must keep improving.

Recruitment played a considerable role in taking steps forward after 2024-25, and smart decisions in the transfer market will continue to be of fundamental importance.

So, what areas require attention? This is our Man Utd squad audit ahead of 2026-27.

Goalkeeper and Defence

Going into the summer, the defence was arguably the area of the United squad least in need of attention. They have plenty of options at centre-back and then numerous versatile players for the full-back slots.

But there is a growing sense that they could still use reinforcement at centre-back.

The issue is, the two central defenders who are arguably their first choice – Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez – are very injury-prone.

De Ligt hasn’t played since November due to a chronic back injury, which the club are having to manage very carefully. There’s been little communication from United about when he’ll be back, merely confirming he’ll miss the start of the season.

Jonathan Manuel / Data Analyst

Given how his recovery has gone so far, even returning by October would seem optimistic. And his general injury record is fairly concerning anyway.

United were then dealt another blow by Martínez going off injured in the World Cup final. Granted, there’s no update on him yet, and he may only have a minor problem, but it’s also worth remembering he’s had several long absences too since joining the club.

Jonathan Manuel / Data Analyst

Beyond that pair, Harry Maguire has rebuilt his reputation impressively but isn’t getting any younger; the jury is out on whether Leny Yoro is robust enough to be a regular starter; and while Ayden Heaven looks a class act, he – like Yoro – is young and inexperienced, and he has a tendency to be a little rash.

They do have options, but they could be more reliable.

At full-back, United may have enough to get by for the time being.

Luke Shaw was dependable last term and played all 38 of United’s Premier League games; if Harry Amass leaves on loan again, Patrick Dorgu could act as cover at left-back, though it is broadly accepted he is more comfortable higher up the pitch.

Similarly, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have also covered adequately on the left in the past. If either position could do with one more body, though, it would be left-back. United’s fixture schedule will be dramatically different this term, and although Shaw was remarkably resilient on the injury front in 2025-26, there’s no guarantee that will be the case in a much busier 2026-27.

In goal, United have already brought in Karl Darlow to act as deputy for Senne Lammens, with Altay Bayindir expected to leave and the promising Radek Vitek keen to depart in search of first-team football.

Midfielder

United moved pretty efficiently to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. Both were rather surprising purchases, but the former offers real potential and the latter has consistently been one of the Premier League’s best midfielders in recent years.

For a combined reported outlay of £85m, United have done well. But there’s more to do.

Before the summer, you could have made the case that United needed at least three new central midfielders. Their options there were already a bit thin with just Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, and the England midfielder was the only one expected to stay.

Casemiro’s exit was known long ago and Ugarte was likely to be moved on as well, only to then suffer an ACL injury on World Cup duty that will likely rule him out for most of the 2026-27 season.

So, although they’ve brought two players in, they still only have three senior options in those positions if we ignore the more offensive-minded Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, and Toby Collyer, who’ll probably go out on loan again. A temporary move may also benefit both Jack and Tyler Fletcher.

The type of central midfielder they appear to be missing is the athletic, ball-winning variety. Mainoo, Santos and Tielemans as a trio bring a lot to the table, particularly on the ball, but none are known for their athleticism, power or physicality.

Find a player who meets that requirement, and Carrick will likely go into the new season pleased with the club’s business regardless of bolstering other positions or not.

Attacking Midfield

If there’s one area of the United squad that is particularly well stocked, it would be attacking midfield and out wide.

They have a lot of quality with the likes of Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo, and Dorgu showed promising signs of development last season before injury stopped him in his tracks.

Furthermore, Cunha and Mbeumo offer valuable versatility as well, given they aren’t strangers to playing through the middle.

We can also add to the equation the very promising Shea Lacey and the highly rated Tynan Thompson, a new signing from Tottenham.

And then there’s Marcus Rashford.

He’s spent the past 18 months on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona, but neither were willing (or able?) to buy him outright. It sounds like United are still willing to let him go, but they are also ready to reintegrate him if another move doesn’t materialise.

It might be naïve to expect to see the same Rashford who had a hand in 25 goals across all competitions for Barcelona last season. After all, some fans will question his state of mind and motivation levels after apparently being pretty keen to stay at Camp Nou.

However, if we assume a certain level of professionalism, he could still be an asset for United, and Carrick’s brand of football will almost certainly be a better fit for him than Amorim’s.

The only role United look a little short in here is the number 10s. Mount’s availability record at United has been poor and he can’t be expected to stay fit for a full season.

However, the counterargument to spending on reinforcements in this area would be that Fernandes is so reliable fitness-wise, and then Cunha, Mainoo or Tielemans could potentially fill in were both their captain and Mount absent at the same time.

Centre-Forward

It seems highly unlikely United will be spending big on a centre-forward this summer.

Benjamin Sesko showed enough promise in his first season that he’ll be trusted to continue leading the line and further his development.

The Slovenian showed considerably better predatory instincts than Rasmus Højlund and was a greater box presence than the Danish striker.

Sesko averaged 3.4 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season; Hojlund averaged 1.6 in 2023-24 and 1.4 in 2024-25.

As such, Sesko’s 0.51 non-penalty xG per 90 was also well up on Hojlund (0.32 in 2023-24, 0.24 in 2024-25).

While quality of service can be considered a factor, it is entirely fair to suggest Sesko’s presence and movement in the final third was a step up. And if United can continue to improve the regularity of chances created for him, the evidence suggests he could be a huge asset.

But again, he did also have his injury issues last term, and Joshua Zirkzee – essentially his backup – has not convinced during his first two years at United, especially leading the line.

The Dutchman clearly has some talent and looked electric in United’s 5-0 friendly win over Rosenborg last week. We can’t put too much weight on that, though, especially given links to Juventus refuse to go away.

Were Zirkzee to leave, it might be prudent to bring in someone more experienced to provide some challenge and support to Sesko. But all the same, United might be content that between them Cunha and Mbeumo (and Rashford?) can fill in for Sesko from time to time.

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