Carrick says United will not make £100m signing as Rashford returns to training camp
Michael Carrick said Manchester United will not make a £100m signing this summer and confirmed Marcus Rashford "is our player" after Rashford rejoined the squad at their County Kildare training camp on Sunday. United have spent a total of £85m this window on Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos and, Carrick noted, have never paid £100m for a single transfer.
The club’s spending stance contrasts with other members of the traditional top six — Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea — who have each paid more than £100m for a player in recent years. Carrick, who guided United to third last season, was asked about using Champions League qualification revenue for high-cost signings and said: "To be honest, I haven’t got the answers for that. We’re working with pushing everything that we can to make the best of it." He added that the group must "make the most of it" and push every boundary to try to win again.
The 45-year-old defended the club’s competitive approach while acknowledging financial limits, saying: "Money’s money. I get that. It’s still about football and that’s where the competition lies. What we feel naturally as a group is to try and win games. So there’s a lot that goes into that, but certainly the situation is what it is as well, whether that’s finances or whatever." He also addressed squad-building needs, stating that recruitment depends on position and dynamics and that United must keep seeking ways to enhance the team.
Youri Tielemans completed a £35m move to Old Trafford in July when United triggered a release clause in his Aston Villa contract, having helped Villa to last season's Europa League title. Tielemans initially said: "There are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them," and later issued an apology on Instagram: "Never meant for my words in the press yesterday to offend anyone or the institution of Aston Villa Football Club, which I massively respect and I’m grateful for the past three years," adding, "I must however admit my mistake and apologise for my choice of words, will be more careful in the future. Wishing the club the best in the future."
Carrick addressed Marcus Rashford’s situation after the forward returned to the training camp; the 28-year-old had spent the past season and a half on loan at Barcelona and then Aston Villa following a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s executive and the former United head coach Ruben Amorim. The club and player both prefer a departure as United seek to reduce the wage bill, with the final two years of Rashford’s contract reportedly worth £35m, but Carrick said relations have improved and Rashford is focused on working under him.
On Rashford’s immediate role, Carrick said: "He’s our player and has trained really well." He also commented on the wider arc of a player’s career: "He’s a very good player, Marcus, and if you’re going to have a career over 10 or 15 years, there’s going to be times when things go in a direction and maybe a different direction. All right, that happens. There’s ups and downs, and that doesn’t judge you as a one-off kind of [state]. It’s what happens over time, and now we’re in a positive place as a group, and Marcus can offer us so much. He has done, and he can do again, so it’s quite exciting." When asked if Rashford was not for sale, Carrick said: "No, he’s our player and he gives something a little bit different in the group."
Asked whether United can win the title without a £100m-plus signing, Carrick said: "A little bit depends on what position that is and what you’ve got and the dynamics you need at certain points. Sometimes you do need that if it’s the right player. Again, it’s not purely on money. Obviously over time we need to be pushing to look to enhance the squad. So, yeah, 100% we need to do that." He added: "We’ve done really good business. So we’re delighted with that [but] we want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that, so that never stops." Players including Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui and Tielemans have voiced belief that United can challenge this season, and Carrick said: "We’ve definitely got the potential to achieve something really special. I’m not hiding from the fact, and we should aim to do that, but I can’t give you a definite answer on that – it’s certainly what we’re pushing to do because that’s the club we are."
The transfer window remains open until 1 September and Carrick was asked whether Rashford would still be at the club after that deadline; his response was: "He’s our player and has trained really well."