Michael Carrick's Manchester United enter the new season with genuine promise in midfield but unresolved questions in defence, after a five-week pre-season campaign that produced two wins, two draws and two defeats. The head coach, confirmed in the permanent role on 22 May 2026, has signalled that further recruitment is essential before the transfer window closes, even as encouraging performances from new arrivals offered reassurance to supporters.
Those who work closely with Carrick describe him as unshakeable under pressure, a trait that was on display during an extended media session on Thursday. One reporter pressed him repeatedly on realistic ambitions for the campaign and questioned whether the club was prepared to spend enough to meet them.
Carrick gave no outward sign of frustration. He stayed composed throughout, though his responses grew noticeably shorter, he occasionally turned questions back on the questioner, and he repeated points he had already made. When the conversation shifted to other subjects, he reverted just as smoothly to fuller, more detailed answers.
The approach echoed his playing days — receiving the ball under pressure, staying alert to danger, and working his way calmly out of trouble.
How has pre-season gone so far?
The headline record of two wins, two draws and two losses across six matches understates the value of the past five weeks, with several individuals emerging with real credit. Andrey Santos, the 22-year-old midfielder signed from Chelsea for £48m, was one of only three players — alongside Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven — to start every fixture, standing out for his ball circulation, positional awareness and communication on the pitch.
Fellow summer addition Youri Tielemans has brought a similar sense of composure to the side, and there are already promising signs of a productive partnership forming between him and captain Bruno Fernandes. Bryan Mbeumo, meanwhile, has looked like the sharp, influential version of himself from the first half of last season rather than the fatigued figure who returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Heaven has impressed defensively, as has Leny Yoro, particularly when deployed at right-back. Amad Diallo showed flashes of quality after returning from World Cup commitments, and 19-year-old academy prospect Shea Lacey has drawn plenty of excitement, though the club recognises he needs a gradual introduction to first-team football.
Not everyone has featured. Striker Benjamin Sesko and new goalkeeper Karl Darlow are yet to appear in pre-season, while Mason Mount — arguably United's standout performer across the opening three matches — has not played since being substituted as a precaution following a foot injury during the fixture against Paris St-Germain on 8 August 2026.
According to Sporting News, United's most recent warm-up matches produced a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan at Wrocław's Tarczyński Arena on 15 August 2026, following draws with Paris St-Germain and Leeds and a victory over Atlético Madrid. The same report notes the club's 2026 pre-season programme also included earlier fixtures against Wrexham and Rosenborg, before later matches took the squad to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Dublin and Wrocław, as detailed by Yahoo Sports.
Who is being moved on?
Several members of the current squad appear to have no long-term future at Old Trafford. Midfielder Toby Collyer stepped in for the injured Mount but is expected to depart, with club officials anticipating strong interest in him elsewhere.
Full-back Harry Amass, who served as cover for Luke Shaw during pre-season, is also expected to leave, with a loan move viewed as more probable than a permanent transfer. Joshua Zirkzee remains popular within the squad and clearly possesses ability, but his lack of consistency and unclear role — Lacey has at times been preferred to him in the number 10 position — mean a return to Serie A could suit both player and club if the financial terms from Italian interest work out.
The situation surrounding Marcus Rashford also remains unresolved. Sources close to the club believe he is likely to stay, but with a departure still possible, Carrick and his players have been careful to avoid giving a definitive answer whenever the England forward's future is raised.
Why does Carrick still want more signings?
The absence of significant player sales is shaping United's remaining transfer plans. Earlier this month, as fans grew restless over the lack of further additions following Tielemans' arrival on 14 July 2026, a senior club source suggested the summer's business should be judged only once the window shuts.
Carrick's own assessment — that the squad "wants more, needs more" — reflected that same sense of unfinished business. According to Sky Sports, Carrick has said United still need further signings before the transfer window closes on 1 September 2026, with the club's summer outlay so far reaching around £85m across the arrivals of Santos, Tielemans and Darlow. That spending has been framed largely around rebuilding the midfield following Casemiro's departure, with Santos and Tielemans identified as the club's key additions this summer, per the same report.
Left-back cover is regarded as an urgent priority. Shaw has just one year left on his contract, and doubts persist over his capacity to start three matches a week consistently. Within a three-week stretch, Carrick faces a trip to Everton and a home fixture against Manchester City, sandwiching a Champions League tie — meaning he needs a viable alternative he trusts to start in at least one of those games.
United's admiration for Newcastle's Lewis Hall is widely known, though the club's data analysts are reportedly exploring other options as well. Central midfield remains another point of debate, with questions over whether Mount can genuinely operate as the "third" midfielder discussed throughout the summer, and whether Leicester teenager Louis Page might eventually provide back-up in that role.
There are calculated risks elsewhere too. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens performed well in his first season as a senior number one but has only two campaigns of regular senior football behind him, and a difficult World Cup experience showed he remains capable of costly errors.
"We've got to be realistic, not get carried away and think everything is going to be rosy," said Carrick last week. "It never is, never was, never will be."
Fixtures against Hull City and Ipswich Town offer a relatively favourable start to Carrick's first full season in permanent charge, though such openings have previously proven to be banana skins for United when they appeared well positioned to build momentum.
Speaking with former team-mate Rio Ferdinand — who visited United's training camp in Dublin last week — around a year ago, Carrick reflected that he sometimes felt he was watching matches from above the action, giving him unusual clarity over what was unfolding on the pitch. That perspective may prove valuable as the season begins in earnest.
What happens next for Manchester United?
United's first competitive fixture of the new season comes away at Hull City on 22 August 2026, according to Sporting News. That is followed by a home league fixture against Ipswich Town on 30 August 2026, per the same source.
Those matches will play out against the backdrop of the closing days of the transfer window, which shuts on 1 September 2026. A wider assessment from mid-August, cited by The Athletic, described United's summer window as quiet by the standards of England's leading clubs, despite the midfield reinforcements already brought in.
Key Facts
- Michael Carrick was confirmed as Manchester United's permanent head coach on 22 May 2026.
- United's summer spending has reached roughly £85m, covering the signings of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow.
- United lost 4-2 to AC Milan in Wrocław on 15 August 2026, their most recent pre-season fixture.
- The team opens its competitive season away at Hull City on 22 August 2026, before hosting Ipswich Town on 30 August 2026.
- The summer transfer window closes on 1 September 2026, with Carrick indicating further signings are still required.
