Manchester United 2025/26 Player Ratings: A Season of Optimism

The 2025/26 campaign is over, and for the first time in a while, Manchester United finish a season looking upwards rather than over their shoulders. Third place, Champions League football secured, and Michael Carrick confirmed in the job. Old Trafford has not felt this aligned in years.

Here is how the squad shaped a season that might yet prove a turning point.

Goalkeepers

Senne Lammens – 9

Signed with little fanfare, Lammens left the season as one of the Premier League’s standout goalkeepers. Calm under pressure, commanding in his box and reliable in big moments, he transformed a problem position into a strength. For someone who arrived with “minimal expectations”, he now looks like a long-term cornerstone. He should only rise from here.

Altay Bayindir – 3.5

At the other end of the spectrum, Bayindir’s season never recovered from a disastrous start. Costly errors turned tight games, and those dropped points dragged United out of what could have been a title conversation. By the time Lammens took over, the damage was done. All signs point to this being his final year at the club.

Full-Backs

Luke Shaw – 7.5

This was as close to the complete Luke Shaw season as United have seen. Fit, focused and consistent, he stitched together months of solid displays and even capped it with a goal against Nottingham Forest. The question has always been durability. This year, he answered it. Now he has to prove it was not a one-off.

Diogo Dalot – 7.5

Carrick’s arrival changed Dalot’s trajectory. Restored to his natural full-back role, he found rhythm and authority down the flank, especially from January onwards. Once a rotation option, he played his way into the core of the side. By the end of the campaign, his name went on the teamsheet almost automatically.

Patrick Dorgu – 6.5

Dorgu’s season promised more than it delivered, but not by choice. Injury cut through his momentum just as he began to impress, particularly between late December and late January. The flashes were there: energy, aggression, a willingness to attack from left-back. If he stays fit, he should see far more of the pitch next season.

Noussair Mazraoui – 5

Twelve months ago, Mazraoui looked like a shrewd piece of business. This time around, he never got close to that level. The sharpness, the thrust, the confidence – all dulled. He drifted through games, and the conversation has now turned from how to build around him to whether United should cash in.

Tyrell Malacia – 2

A season that barely existed. Malacia managed just two substitute appearances against Newcastle and looked miles off the pace. His most memorable involvement was being turned inside out by William Osula. The club has already confirmed he will leave on a free. A quiet, flat end to a United spell that never truly ignited.

Centre-Backs

Leny Yoro – 6.5

Yoro’s campaign swung between promise and frustration. There were glimpses of the elegant defender United believe he can become, but he never nailed down a starting spot. At his age, inconsistency is normal, yet United now face a decision: feed him more minutes in-house or send him on loan to accelerate his development.

Harry Maguire – 7.5

Written off more than once, Maguire answered again. Under Carrick, he found clarity and trust, and his performances earned him a new contract. He became a regular starter and a key voice in a back line that had to absorb injuries and tactical tweaks. With Champions League nights returning, his experience will matter.

Lisandro Martinez – 7

The pattern is painfully familiar. When Martinez plays, he lifts United’s back four. Aggressive, front-foot, emotionally engaged, he sets a tone. But the story keeps getting interrupted by injuries. Once more, fitness issues restricted his influence, and United can no longer build a defensive plan that assumes he will be available every week.

Matthijs de Ligt – 5

The season started with De Ligt being hailed by Rio Ferdinand as United’s best defender. For a while, he looked it. Then December came, injury struck, and the campaign effectively stopped for him. Surgery and rehabilitation followed. If he returns early next season at that initial level, United’s defence gains a major boost. The “if” is the concern.

Ayden Heaven – 8

Heaven did almost everything right when given the chance. Strong, composed and assured, he looked “untouchable” in his best outings. His biggest enemy was not form, but a lack of fixtures. Carrick trusted others more often, but on this evidence, Heaven has a serious claim to start regularly – even ahead of Martinez.

Tyler Fredricson – 2

This was supposed to be a breakthrough year. It never materialised. After the humbling defeat to Grimsby in August, Fredricson did not see another minute of action. From there, his season faded into the background, and a summer exit now feels inevitable.

Midfield

Bruno Fernandes – 10

This was the season Bruno Fernandes bent the league to his will. The numbers tell one part of the story: he equalled the Premier League assist record and swept up every individual award available. The rest is about influence. Week after week, he dragged United forward, dictating tempo, creating chances, refusing to let standards drop. In a side still being reshaped, he played like a finished article. United are fortunate he calls Old Trafford home.

Casemiro – 9

If this was Casemiro’s farewell, he chose his moment well. The Brazil captain delivered the most prolific goal-scoring season of his career while anchoring United’s midfield with the authority of a player determined to leave on his own terms. He walks away as a cult hero, his reputation restored after doubts last year. His departure, if confirmed, will leave a sizeable gap in character as much as in quality.

Kobbie Mainoo – 8

Mainoo’s story this season could have gone very differently. At one point, he stood close to the exit. Instead, post-Amorim, he exploded back into relevance. Regaining his starting place, securing a new long-term contract, and playing with a maturity beyond his years, he reminded everyone why the club rated him so highly. He lost time earlier in his United journey. He is making it up now.

Manuel Ugarte – 3.5

Ugarte’s name on the fourth official’s board began to carry dread. Too often, his introduction coincided with United losing control of matches. Positionally loose and erratic in possession, he never provided the stability expected of him. The pattern became too clear to ignore, and a summer sale now looks like the logical outcome.

Mason Mount – 5.5

Under Ruben Amorim, Mount seemed set for a resurgence. The role suited him, the early signs were bright. Then injuries struck, and his involvement dwindled. The season ended with more questions than answers about where he fits in this evolving side. With squad rebuilding on the agenda, United may decide to cash in rather than wait for a revival that keeps stalling.

Jack Fletcher – 5

Fletcher’s debut arrived with intrigue but not much joy. Used in a more defensive role against Newcastle, he struggled to impose himself, miscast rather than out of his depth. There is more to come from him in his natural position, and next season should offer a cleaner look at what he really is.

Tyler Fletcher – 5.5

Unlike his twin, Tyler got only one opportunity, but it was in his preferred role. He looked bright, confident and comfortable, hinting at a higher ceiling if given a run of games. For now, it is only a glimpse – but an encouraging one.

Attack

Matheus Cunha – 8

Cunha’s debut season started slowly and ended with authority. Ten league goals tell part of the tale, but the bigger story is how he grew into the shirt. Once he found his range, his movement and link play knitted attacks together. If this is the baseline, United have landed a forward who can shape their attack for years.

Benjamin Sesko – 8

From “worst signing of the summer” to one of the quiet successes. Sesko shook off a clumsy start and finished with 11 league goals in just 17 starts. That is serious output for a first season in England. The raw tools – size, speed, finishing – are all there. With refinement, he can become a dominant No.9.

Bryan Mbeumo – 7.5

Mbeumo joined the double-figures club as well, another new signing to hit at least ten goals. His rating dips slightly because his influence faded under Carrick. The early sharpness dulled, and he could not quite kick on when the team needed another gear. Still, as debut campaigns go, it was productive. Now he has to sustain it.

Amad Diallo – 5.5

A year ago, Amad looked like United’s most exciting attacker. This season, the finishing deserted him. He ended with just two goals, a poor return for someone with his talent and opportunity. The underlying play remained lively, but confidence in front of goal drained away. The task now is mental as much as technical: rebuild, reset, return sharper.

Joshua Zirkzee – 4

There were isolated flashes of quality, but nothing to shift the broader conclusion. This season underlined why Zirkzee is unlikely to be the long-term answer for United’s attack. The fit never quite worked, and a summer move seems the natural next step for both parties.

Shea Lacey – 7

Lacey’s cameos crackled with promise. He played like someone who had outgrown academy football, and he probably has. A red card in the FA Cup blotted the copybook, but it should not overshadow the excitement he generated. His audacious strike against Burnley stayed out, but the intent said enough. Next season, he should not be confined to youth football.

Bendito Mantato – 5

Mantato’s involvement was limited and largely peripheral. He did not damage his reputation, but he did not enhance it either. This was a holding pattern of a season, the kind that leaves coaches with a simple question: is there another level to unlock, or is it time to look elsewhere?

Carrick’s first full campaign in charge has reset the mood at Manchester United. A new goalkeeper has emerged, a talisman has hit his peak, young talent has pushed at the door, and underperformers have been exposed. With Champions League nights returning and key decisions looming in the transfer market, the next step is clear: can this squad turn a good season into a genuine title challenge?