Carrick urges further Manchester United signings as he prepares for first full Premier League season
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said on 13 August 2026 he will continue pushing to add players as he prepares for his first full Premier League campaign at Old Trafford and called it a "privilege" to lead the club.
Carrick, who won 12 out of his 17 games in charge last season, said he is pleased with United's summer business so far after the club spent £83m to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, while out-of-contract Karl Darlow joined as back-up goalkeeper. He warned, however, that left-back and central midfield remain areas of concern as United prepare for a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Carrick noted the club had missed out on targets such as Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes because those players "refused to match rival offers" and said United are spending less than newly promoted Ipswich and Coventry.
On the transfer window he said: "We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that." He added: "Money's money, I get that. We feel like we have to be pushing for everything we're involved in, while being realistic of what the recent history's looked like over a period of time." He also said: "For now, we've got to make the most of it, but we've got to push every boundary we can to be able to win again, basically."
Carrick described enjoying a positive personal day after his daughter received the A-level grades she hoped for and outlined a lighter pre-season schedule that avoided long-haul trips, with the squad travelling to Scandinavia for matches against Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid and Paris St-Germain before facing Leeds in Dublin. "I love the position I'm in," he said, adding there are tactical and training responsibilities alongside being "the face of it, leading it, trying to set the right messages, the right behaviours and right tone for what we want to look like as a football club." He said he does not take the role at the club for granted.
When asked about Marcus Rashford, Carrick repeatedly said: "He's our player." He declined to state outright whether Rashford will still be a United player when the transfer window closes on 1 September, instead emphasising: "It is not a unique situation at all and [we] treat him exactly like any other player." Carrick also said: "Football's got different directions," and: "You've got to manage through the states to have a career for 10 or 15 years. It's never going to be smooth sailing." He added: "But you've got to keep moving forward. If you keep looking back too much, it doesn't do anyone any favours."
The article notes some supporters remain unhappy with Rashford's perceived coolness during loan spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona and describes a change from the "disinterested figure he became under Ruben Amorim" to a player "widely accepted to be the best player to come through the club's academy since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013." Carrick said: "It's been good to have Marcus around this week. He's our player. He's a good player, and he gives us something a little bit different." The club expects Rashford's return to United colours to be against Amorim's AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday.
Kobbie Mainoo also returned to the squad and Carrick outlined the work he did to rebuild the young midfielder's confidence after taking over from Amorim following Darren Fletcher's two games in interim charge in January. Carrick said Mainoo had been "virtually ignored" by his previous boss, noted that "At least Mainoo did come on as a substitute for Amorim in the Premier League last season," and added that "He didn't even do that for Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad." Reflecting on his own experience, Carrick said he was "similarly overlooked by Fabio Capello during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa." On Mainoo's recent period away he said: "I spoke to him all the way through the World Cup, not loads, but little bits," and: "It's challenging. From the outside we all see the glitz, the glamour and all the positive sides of football. But players are human beings. We all have our ups and downs. It's important we support each other." He added: "It was a good experience for Kobbie. It's a World Cup and that is a big step." and: "He's still such a young man and he's achieved so much, so quickly. To be at the stage he's at is an achievement."
United will face AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday, a match that is expected to include Rashford in the squad while Carrick continues to press for additional signings before the transfer window closes.
