By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-08-18 09:51:41 | Updated at 2026-08-18 10:04:51
20 minutes ago
The Premier League returns this weekend for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Before it begins, we look at some of the key questions facing Manchester United.
Is Michael Carrick the Man?
Another new season, another new era for Manchester United.
Sure, Michael Carrick was initially hired in January, but he was then given the job on a two-year deal after leading United to a third-place finish, now giving him a mandate going forward.
He did little wrong during his first few months in charge. He was a calmer presence in practically every respect than the animated Ruben Amorim, and his background as a former United player helped cool tension between the club and fans.
Most importantly, though, he had 17 games in charge and won 12 of them, ensuring United qualified for the Champions League with three games to spare, having originally taken over with them seventh in the table.
Across his 13 and a half months in charge, Amorim averaged 1.23 points per game in the Premier League, compared to 2.29 for Carrick. In fact, from the day Carrick was hired until the end of the season, United won more points than any other side in the English top flight.
But it’s understandable if the jury is still out on him.
Carrick and United were helped by the fact they only had league football to concentrate on, and competition for the top four wasn’t especially strong. Liverpool had an underwhelming season, Chelsea finished 10th, and Tottenham found themselves in a relegation battle.
On top of that, there was often a sense Amorim did such an unimpressive job that any successor didn’t need to oversee a drastic improvement just to be seen in a positive light.
Carrick did what he needed to do: ditch Amorim’s three-at-the-back system, give Kobbie Mainoo more opportunities, and secure Champions League football.
But 2026-27 will require him to juggle the Premier League and Champions League, and the domestic cups, with the expectation they are competitive at the very least in the first two.
He’s done well so far, though a good start as United coach isn’t a guarantee of anything – just ask Erik ten Hag.
Is the Squad Deep Enough to Cope With the Champions League?
United spent over £200 million last summer on four players to ensure they didn’t have another season languishing in the bottom half of the table. Carrick’s reward for ultimately guiding them to Champions League qualification? Summer spending to the tune of just £85m so far.
Obviously, there’s no bottomless pit of money and United are trying to be less reckless with their spending than perhaps they were in the past. Also, they may yet dip into the market again this month. But until now, it’s not felt like a summer in which the club have taken considerable steps to close the gap to Arsenal.
Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans both look to be really useful additions. However, if you consider Santos a replacement for Casemiro and then remember that Manuel Ugarte will miss most of the season due to injury, United are in exactly the same position as last season when it comes to midfield depth – and the consensus then was they could do with adding another two players to the numbers they already had.
That doesn’t look especially realistic at this point given they’ve lost Ugarte to injury rather than managing to bring in a transfer fee for him, but there still appears to be the need for an athletic, destructive-type number six who can also use the ball effectively.
Tentative suggestions that Mason Mount could be the third additional central midfielder have gone very quiet. The former Chelsea midfielder came in for some positive PR following a few eye-catching pre-season displays, but then he was withdrawn early from the friendly against Paris Saint-Germain with a knock and played no part in the meetings with Leeds and AC Milan.
Most United fans likely laughed at the idea of relying on Mount, given his injury record, and their scepticism was justified.
Ithiel Piñero / Data AnalystThe other area in potentially urgent need of bolstering is left-back. Luke Shaw had an impressive 2025-26, playing in all 38 Premier League games, but it was the first time he had featured in more than 32 top-flight games in a single campaign for United, so it’s hard to imagine him coping in the same manner with European football and cup action thrown in as well.
Ithiel Piñero / Data AnalystLet’s not forget, United played just 40 games in all competitions last term because they were knocked out at the first hurdle in both the EFL Cup and FA Cup having also not earned European qualification. It was their fewest matches in a season for 111 years (39 in 1914-15).
This term, they are guaranteed to play a minimum of 48 games. That will quickly increase if they progress in the Champions League and the cups. They can’t tackle that with Shaw as their only left-back.
In the past, United have got by with playing Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui on the left if needed, while Patrick Dorgu could potentially fill in there. But neither of the two right-backs ever looked particularly effective on the left, and Dorgu is clearly seen by the coaching staff as more of a winger. Meanwhile, the highly rated Harry Amass is expected to go out on loan again.
Shaw also has only a year left on his contract, so thinking to the future would be sensible.
Elsewhere, United probably have enough assuming there are no further exits.
They are fairly well stocked in the attacking positions, partly because they have several players who can be used in more than one role, including one returning loanee…
Can Marcus Rashford Reintegrate?
Many thought they’d seen Marcus Rashford in a United shirt for the last time, but he made a second-half cameo against Milan on Saturday. While not a competitive appearance, it was his first United outing for 20 months.
It’s by no means certain that he’ll still be there come the end of the transfer window, though that looks more likely than not at this point. And there are those at the club welcoming him back with open arms.
Carrick seems pretty enthusiastic to have Rashford at his disposal, while Harry Maguire is convinced he can be an asset. After all, he offers something a bit different to United’s other wide options, and he could be used through the middle in place of Benjamin Sesko if necessary.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact being back at United has on him psychologically. There are bridges to be mended, and he seemed pretty set on remaining at Barcelona before they elected not to take up their purchase option.
Though there is reason to think he could be of real use to Carrick.
After all, from Carrick’s appointment until the end of last season, United’s 22 shots from fast breaks in the Premier League were bettered by only Liverpool (26) and Bournemouth (25), while no one scored more goals (4) than them from such attacks over the same period.
Were that to remain a key part of their arsenal, Rashford’s pace and dynamism would theoretically be a good fit; whether he’d put in the required off-ball work is another matter, though.
Either way, he has the talent to have an impact in attack, and a season at Barcelona may have sharpened his mind. For instance, he averaged a goal or assist every 105 minutes in all competitions last term, a figure only three of his teammates could better.
If ability was the only important factor here, there’d be no question about Rashford’s usefulness. But it could be a little while yet before we know how deep the scars are and how much of a barrier they will be for the player or the team.
Will United Be Less Susceptible in Transition?
Vulnerability in transition has been an issue for United for several years, and last season wasn’t massively different in that their seven goals conceded from fast breaks was the joint most in the Premier League.
However, only two of those came after Carrick’s arrival, while their 14 shots conceded from fast breaks over that same period was bettered by just six teams.
The midfield pairing of Mainoo and Casemiro certainly wasn’t the most mobile, and there were still moments when United looked too leggy in the middle. But clearly the structure of Carrick’s team meant the midfield was left exposed less often than Amorim’s was – it probably also helped that Bruno Fernandes went back to his number 10 role in the second half of the campaign rather than occupying a deep role.
As noted before, an extra central midfield signing – someone able to defend large spaces – would be ideal, particularly as United also aren’t exactly blessed with an abundance of quick defenders.
But with Casemiro now gone, United’s mobility in midfield should improve by default, even if neither Santos nor Tielemans were signed expressly to address that.
It would be going a bit far to suggest United became impervious to transitions after Amorim left, though there was an improvement. Whether it was momentary or permanent will be determined over the next few months.
Which Young Players Can Make an Impact?
One of the main sources of frustration for some with Amorim was an apparent reluctance to look towards the academy.
That might not be completely fair, but Carrick has definitely shown greater interest. For instance, he was quickly spotted watching the under-21s in person; Amorim had never attended one of their matches.
Amorim’s lack of trust in Mainoo was probably the key factor behind certain fan perceptions; he played just 302 minutes in all competitions last season prior to the Portuguese coach leaving, before racking up 1,503 minutes under Darren Fletcher and then Carrick (Fernandes was the only outfielder to play more).
So, homegrown players managed just 477 minutes under Amorim last season, and that went up to 1,581 under Carrick, though obviously the majority of that was attributed to Mainoo’s prominence.
Regardless, Carrick is widely considered to have a greater appreciation for the homegrown talents, and United fans will be hoping that means there’s a more obvious pathway to the first team.
There will be a particular interest in the development of Shea Lacey and JJ Gabriel.
Right-winger Lacey, 19, made his debut under Amorim, but that was his only appearance for him. He made three appearances after his exit and gave a good account of himself, aside from an immature red card against Brighton in the FA Cup.
He likely would’ve played more were it not for the subsequent suspension, plus a few other availability issues. But he’s been prominent – and caught the eye – in pre-season, winning a penalty against Atlético Madrid with a display of quick feet.
Lacey is brave and direct, and has a fieriness that suggests he won’t be intimidated by playing regularly at first-team level. If Bryan Mbeumo is occasionally required to feature up top, Lacey could be a useful rotation option with Amad Diallo, potentially keeping the Ivorian on his toes.
JJ Gabriel, on the other hand, is still only 15, so can only really be expected to make sporadic appearances at most. But it’s not unrealistic to think he’ll spend a lot of time with the first team this season, even if just as an unused substitute.
United apparently had to pull out all the stops to keep him last year, outlining a pathway to the first team as part of their charm offensive. And they know there’s another opportunity for him to depart next year, so the theory is they’ll want to prove they’ve done right by him this term.
Pre-season provided a hint of their intentions. He made his first senior appearance late on against Atlético, and then he was one of the few youngsters to stay with the squad for the friendly defeat to Amorim’s Milan at the weekend.
An explosive, skilful attacker, Gabriel has mostly played through the middle in United’s youth teams, scoring plenty of goals in the process. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him used more out wide if making occasional appearances for the senior side.
United rate him as a potential superstar. While everyone will have to be patient with him, it would seem to be a matter of when – not if – Gabriel makes his senior competitive bow.
We should also reserve a special mention for Dan Armer. The 18-year-old impressed many during pre-season, and given the unreliability of most of United’s senior centre-backs (in terms of fitness), it’s not outlandish to think he might get the odd chance.
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