Manchester United kick off their Premier League campaign away to Hull City this weekend, and there is plenty of optimism around Old Trafford as the new season begins.
The arrival of Michael Carrick brought a positive end to last season, with United impressing at times as they finished third in the Premier League and secured a place in the Champions League.
Many will be now expecting Carrick to build on last season’s success. While the club is aiming to return to regular Champions League football, the longer-term goal is to build a team that is capable of fighting for the Premier League.
They have taken steps towards that already this summer. The arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos kickstarted the midfield rebuild, but there are still some noticeable gaps in the squad to fill.
But with just over a week left of the summer window, time is running out to add quality in key areas. So, what does the club need before the window shuts?
The business so far
To begin with, it is worth considering that there are two areas that are no longer in need of immediate improvement. Goalkeeper is one, with Senne Lammens having impressed since arriving last summer. While the Belgian may not yet have proved himself to be at the level required to win major honours, he is certainly good enough for now, and could well move up a level in the coming seasons (though a competent back-up could be on the list soon enough).
Tielemans and Santos have arrived from Aston Villa and Chelsea to bolster the midfield, but the squad definitely needs one more starter in midfield. The club remain linked with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. A bid of £60m has been tabled for the Cameroon international, and it is expected that a deal will be reached before the end of the transfer window. The signing of Baleba would mark the arrival of a player the club had originally targeted last summer, and some will regard the 22-year-old as the final piece in an impressive midfield rebuild.
Having only lost Casemiro this summer, the club have seemingly filled the gaps in the middle of the park, with Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount the other options. While we are yet to see if the midfield works in practice, it is looking much better on paper than it did last season.
Position one: Centre-back
The only real area of concern at the moment is in defence. United currently have nine first-team defenders on the books, with arguably only one of them currently possessing the quality needed to be part of a league-winning side.
Matthijs de Ligt is the man in question, though he has only just returned to training after an injury suffered in November, and his injury record could see him forced out of the club in the longer term. Hopes are high for Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, though neither is currently at that level, even if their potential suggests they could get there.
Indeed, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez will likely find themselves starting at centre-back this season. Many fans will question quite how the club have been left with those two as starting centre-back options despite spending hundreds of millions of pounds in recent years.
While both have had notable moments and performances in a United shirt, they have also have shown themselves to be error-prone and lacking in the physicality that is required to be a top-level defender in the Premier League.
Both are probably ‘good enough’ for the moment, but neither is good enough for the team that United want to be in the near future. While the club has not targeted a new central defender this summer, expect them to go into the market in 2027.
Position two: Left-back
That leaves full-back, where United also have a confusing array of options. Noussair Mazraoui has been solid if unspectacular since joining, while Diogo Dalot remains reliable but frustrating at times.
At left-back, the bewildering Patrick Dorgu experiment looks set to continue, with the Dane seen as an option further forward on the wing. If that fails – which it admittedly looks set to – then there are question marks over whether Dorgu is a good enough left-back at this level, even if he has shown plenty to suggest he’s a useful squad player.
Finally, Luke Shaw has been a great servant to the club but at 31 his best days are behind him, with the club actively seeking a replacement this summer. They have seemingly failed in their pursuit of Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, though names on the list include Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde, David Raum and young Racing Santander defender Jorge Salinas.
This seems to be the main area that the club will look to address before the end of the month, so expect an arrival of some sort.
Position three: Back-up forward
As for the forward line, the club took steps to address that last summer, adding Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. The return of Marcus Rashford from his loan at Barcelona means that United are well-equipped in attack ahead of the new season, though both himself and Amad will need to hit the ground running. They have shown they’re capable, but they need to add consistency to prove that they’re of the level required to stay at Old Trafford.
While the attacking unit looks fine on paper, reports suggest the Red Devils could look at options for a second striker, but only if Joshua Zirkzee leaves this summer. Both Ivan Toney and Jean-Philippe Mateta have been linked, and in any case it would be a signing for cover rather than anyone to rival Sesko for the starting spot.
Given Zirkzee’s struggles, it feels like a signing is needed whatever happens, but financial constraints will likely prevent anything from happening unless the Dutchman departs. Nevertheless, Mbeumo has shown himself as capable in that position in certain scenarios, while Rashford offers another option at nine if needed.
