Manchester United's Transfer Strategy: Carrick's Ambitions and Challenges

Michael Carrick is not dressing it up. With the new season closing in and the transfer window ticking towards its September 1 deadline, the Manchester United head coach has made it clear: this squad is not finished.

“We want more, we need more,” he tells Sky Sports News. It’s both a statement of ambition and an admission that Old Trafford’s rebuild is still in motion.

Business done – and business still to come

United have already moved decisively in midfield, the area they ring‑fenced as a priority after Casemiro’s departure. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have arrived for a combined £85m, two very different profiles designed to reshape the centre of the pitch. Karl Darlow has come in on a free from Leeds to support new No 1 Senne Lammens.

Behind them, the club have also added Tynan Thompson, Kit Margetson and Cristian Orozco, developmental signings who are not expected to trouble the first‑team picture immediately but signal a longer-term plan.

Carrick likes what he has seen so far.

“We’re delighted with the players we’ve brought in, first and foremost,” he says. “We’ve improved the group. We’ve improved the squad in different ways. Balance, quality and the direction we want to go in.

“So the players that we’ve brought in, I think we’ve done really good business and we’ve got some top, top, top players.”

The satisfaction stops there. The message that follows is blunt.

“We always want to improve. We want more, we need more. We keep looking forward to how we can do that. So that never stops. We’re conscious of that and we’ve got to keep pushing.”

That urgency mirrors the mood in the stands. Progress in two key positions has not quietened the growing restlessness among a fanbase that expected a broader overhaul in Carrick’s first full summer in charge.

Rashford returns – a familiar face, a fresh start

Amid the recruitment drive, a very familiar figure has walked back through the Carrington doors. Marcus Rashford has rejoined the squad for pre-season after Barcelona opted against activating their £26m buy option at the end of his loan spell.

The England international spent the whole of last season in LaLiga. Now he could pull on a United shirt for the first time since December 2024 in a friendly against Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan this weekend – a manager he previously clashed with before his first loan to Aston Villa.

Carrick, a former team-mate, has been careful to strip away the noise around Rashford’s return.

“We’re really calm [about bringing Rashford back in],” he says. “We just treat it like anybody else coming into the group. There’s obviously this slight twist that he knows the club as well as anybody and that’s a real positive.

“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.”

The personal history between them is not a factor, Carrick insists.

“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.

“He brings a group of things that we haven’t got and we want to get that balance with every individual player and Marcus has come back. He’s in good form and he’s been good to have around this week.”

Rashford’s presence changes the equation in one key area. With the 26-year-old back in the fold and training well, United are unlikely to move for a centre-forward before the deadline. For Carrick, the solution up front may already be in-house.

Left-back search and midfield dilemma

The focus now sits on the left side of defence and the possibility of one more midfielder.

United are actively in the market for a left-back. Work has been done on a potential move for Lewis Hall, but Newcastle’s response has been firm: not for sale. That has pushed eyes elsewhere.

Fulham’s Antonee Robinson is one of the names on United’s list as they look for an attacking option down that flank. Harry Amass has featured in pre-season, a glimpse of the future, but he is expected to leave before the window closes.

One intriguing long-term target remains Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. United have admired him for some time. Whether they act on that interest in this window is unclear, but his versatility – capable of operating both at left-back and in midfield – would, in theory, tick two problem boxes at once.

The third central midfielder is the big “maybe”. With Tielemans and Santos already through the door, United have not ruled out ending the window without another addition in that area. The internal debate is simple: is what they have enough to carry Carrick’s blueprint into a full campaign, or does this evolving side still need one more piece?

The clock is running. United have made strides, reshaped their midfield, brought back a forward who knows the badge as well as anyone. Carrick’s stance, though, leaves no room for doubt.

They are not done yet.