Signings shine in pre-season but Manchester United face persistent squad questions
Michael Carrick was confirmed as Manchester United's permanent head coach on 22 May, and his side completed a five-week, six-game pre-season in which new arrivals impressed while underlying squad issues remained.
People at Manchester United describe Carrick as calm, and that composure was visible during media sessions when a journalist repeatedly pressed him on realistic targets and the club's willingness to spend; his responses briefly shortened to single sentences before he returned to more detailed answers, a manner compared in the camp to his playing style of keeping calm in tight situations.
New signings drew clear praise during the tour. Andrey Santos, the 22-year-old, £48m summer arrival from Chelsea, was one of three players — alongside Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven — to start every pre-season match and was noted for his ability to rotate the ball, positional discipline and communication. Youri Tielemans, signed on 14 July, has shown an assurance the club hopes will spread through the team and there are early signs his link-up with skipper Bruno Fernandes could prove productive.
Several other performers caught the eye: an energised, impactful Bryan Mbeumo rather than the tired version returning from Africa Cup of Nations; Leny Yoro, particularly effective at right-back; Amad Diallo, who produced flashes after returning from World Cup duty; and academy forward Shea Lacey, 19, who impressed but will be eased in. Mason Mount was arguably United's best player across the first three matches but did not feature again after being taken off as a 'precaution' following a blow to his foot early in the Paris St-Germain game on 8 August, while Benjamin Sesko and new goalkeeper Karl Darlow did not play.
Carrick's touring squad also highlighted surplus figures and potential departures. Toby Collyer deputised for Mount but is expected to move on, with club officials believing interest should be high; Harry Amass served as back-up to Luke Shaw but is likely to leave, with a loan viewed as more probable than a permanent exit. Joshua Zirkzee remains popular and talented but is seen as lacking consistency and a clear position; Shea Lacey was deployed ahead of him at times in the number 10 role and the club noted that if interest from Italy "stacks up financially" it would make sense for the former Bologna man to return to Serie A.
Transfer constraints and specific positional concerns persist. The lack of outgoing sales has limited United's next moves, and while a senior club source urged judgment of the window until its close, Carrick's assessment that "we want more, we need more" last week has been widely quoted inside the club. Competition at left-back is described as urgent: Shaw has a year remaining on his contract and his capacity to repeatedly play three games in a week is unclear; admiration for Newcastle's Lewis Hall is well known and the club's data team are searching for alternatives. Central midfield remains debated — can Mount fulfil the often-discussed role of a third midfielder, with the potential signing of Leicester teenager Louis Page suggested as back-up — and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, despite an excellent debut campaign, has only two seasons as a first-choice senior keeper behind him and an unhappy World Cup experience that "proved he can make major mistakes."
Hull and Ipswich provide what the report calls a kind start to Carrick's first full season in charge while also representing the kind of banana skin United have previously struggled to negotiate when they appeared well placed to progress. Carrick welcomed former team-mate Rio Ferdinand to United's training camp in Dublin last week and recalled a conversation from a year ago in which he said he sometimes felt he was "above the match he was playing in," a perspective he said gave him a clear picture of what was happening; the article adds that that clarity of vision may be valuable in the weeks and months ahead.
In three weeks Carrick will prepare for a trip to Everton and a home game with Manchester City, with a Champions League game scheduled between those fixtures, and the club says he must have an alternative option he would feel confident of starting in those games.
