Manchester United's Transfer Market Activity: Carrick's Thoughts

Michael Carrick is content with Manchester United’s work in the market so far. He’s also under no illusions: it isn’t enough.

With his first full season in charge looming and the window ticking towards the September 1 deadline, the United head coach was blunt about what still needs to happen.

“We want more, we need more,” he told Sky Sports News. “We’ve got to keep pushing.”

Midfield rebuilt, but gaps remain

United entered the summer knowing exactly where the holes were. Casemiro’s departure ripped out a chunk of their midfield, while the elevation of Senne Lammens to No 1 created an obvious need for experienced cover in goal.

The club moved quickly in those areas. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans arrived for a combined £85m, two contrasting midfielders brought in to reshape the core of Carrick’s team. Karl Darlow followed on a free from Leeds, a seasoned back-up to Lammens.

Behind them, Tynan Thompson, Kit Margetson and Cristian Orozco have also joined, signings for the future rather than the immediate fight for places. They are not expected to trouble the first-team pecking order just yet.

Carrick likes the profile of what he has so far.

“We’ve improved the group. We’ve improved the squad in different ways. Balance, quality and the direction we want to go in,” he said. “The players that we’ve brought in, I think we’ve done really good business and we’ve got some top, top, top players.”

That hasn’t calmed the fanbase. Restlessness has grown as rivals continue to move and United’s activity appears to stall. Carrick, though, insists the club are working.

“We always want to improve,” he added. “We keep looking forward to how we can do that. So that never stops… we’ve got to keep pushing.”

Rashford returns to change the picture up front

Amid the transfer noise, one arrival has come from within. Marcus Rashford is back.

The England forward spent last season on loan at Barcelona, who chose not to trigger their £26m option to buy. That decision has dropped Rashford straight back into Carrick’s hands and straight into United’s pre-season.

He has not played for United since December 2024, but could feature this weekend in a friendly against AC Milan, now coached by Ruben Amorim – the manager Rashford previously clashed with before his first loan move to Aston Villa.

Carrick, once Rashford’s teammate, has been careful to strip away the drama.

“We’re really calm about bringing Rashford back in,” he said. “We just treat it like anybody else coming into the group.”

The twist, of course, is that Rashford is not just anybody.

“There’s obviously this slight twist that he knows the club as well as anybody and that’s a real positive,” Carrick said. “He’s been here all his career, all his life before the last eight months or so to understand what it means. So that side of things is natural. That’s a given.”

He was keen to downplay any sense of special treatment.

“I know we’ve got history, but I’ve got history with a number of other players as well, so that doesn’t make that a unique situation at all. We treat him exactly like any other player, and bring him into the group and carry on as normal.”

On the pitch, though, Rashford offers something United have missed.

“He brings a group of things that we haven’t got,” Carrick said. “Marcus has come back, he’s in good form and he’s been good to have around this week.”

His return has already influenced the club’s thinking. As things stand, United are not expected to move for another forward, with Rashford seen as a solution through the middle for Carrick heading into the new campaign.

Left-back search and the midfield question

The work is far from done. United are active in the left-back market and are still weighing up whether to add a third central midfielder before the deadline.

Lewis Hall is one name they explored. Newcastle, though, made their stance clear earlier in the summer: not for sale. That forced United to widen the search.

Fulham’s Antonee Robinson has been assessed as an option, a more attacking full-back profile to fit Carrick’s desire for thrust from that side. Harry Amass has featured in pre-season but is expected to leave before the window closes, underlining the need for a senior addition.

There is also a longer-term admiration for Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. His versatility – able to play both at left-back and in midfield – makes him an intriguing fit, a player who could theoretically plug two gaps at once. Whether United move for him now remains unclear.

In midfield, the picture is more nuanced. Santos and Tielemans have already come through the door, and it has not been ruled out that United finish the window without a third central midfield signing. Much will depend on opportunities, outgoings and how Carrick judges the balance of his squad over the coming weeks.

For now, the message from the manager is simple. The squad is stronger. The work is not finished. And the clock is ticking on a window that will go a long way to defining his first full season at Old Trafford.