Man Utd 2026-27 season preview: Biggest trophies likely to be out of Michael Carrick's reach after conservative summer transfer window

INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has earned praise from some United fans for refusing to overpay for certain transfer targets, namely Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, who ended up joining Tottenham for a combined fee of £185 million ($137m) from West Ham and Newcastle, respectively. However, the overriding consensus is that there just hasn't been enough movement in the market.

Red Devils super fan Mark Goldbridge, who will be co-hosting a club-focused show titled 'Stick to United' alongside Wayne Rooney through Gary Neville's The Overlap network this season, has been especially scathing about the situation, writing on X: "Based on this transfer window and the first two years of INEOS the conclusion has to be that United are no longer a big club with big ambitions. The constant attitude is to cut costs and refuse to compete with the top clubs. Call it what it is. Death by a thousand cuts."

Supporters are desperately hoping that Carrick can be the man to break a long-running cycle of failure, but can't overlook the holes that remain in the squad. United don't have enough strength in depth to be competitive across four competitions, and that has led to a mood of pure anxiety around Old Trafford.

United's headline addition of the summer window has been Youri Tielemans, who arrived from Aston Villa for a bargain £35m ($47m) fee. The Belgian is a Premier League proven deep-lying playmaker who will bring real technical quality and vital leadership skills to Carrick's engine room.

Andrey Santos has also arrived from Chelsea in a £50m ($68m) deal, with the promising 22-year-old Brazilian committing to a five-year contract. Tielemans and Santos were essential buys for United, who saw cult hero Casemiro depart as a free agent and Manuel Ugarte sidelined with an ACL injury earlier this summer. A third signing is needed to complete the engine room, though, and it appears Carrick will get it in the form of Brighton's Carlos Baleba, with a deal worth more than £60m ($82m) reportedly close to be being finalised.

The Red Devils have also brought in teenage duo Tynan Thompson and Cristian Orozco for a combined reported fee of £9m, but they are unlikely to go straight into Carrick's first-team squad. Karl Darlow and Kit Margetson complete the current list of summer arrivals, having joined the backup goalkeeping ranks to cover for Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir'srespective loan moves to Trabzonspor and Celta Vigo.

It's possible there will be more movement before the September 1 deadline, with a new left-back thought to be a priority to provide competition for Luke Shaw, whose body will not hold up to the demands of playing three to four games per week.

United are well stocked for wide forwards despite letting Jadon Sancho leave as a free agent, especially with Marcus Rashford back in the fold, but an extra central striker would also be very useful given Benjamin Sesko is just returning from a shin injury and Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly in line for a return to Serie A. Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has been mooted as a target for the second year in succession, though the Englishman is also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.

United played six game in total during pre-season, recording only two wins alongside two draws and two defeats. Their best performance came in a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in Sweden, with Bryan Mbeumo grabbing both goals and academy graduate Shea Lacey also catching the eye, while 15-year-old sensation JJ Gabriel made his senior debut from the bench.

Dan Armer, Jim Thwaites and Jacob Devaney are among the other youngsters who have shone, most notably in a 5-0 rout of Rosenborg, while the 1-1 draw against back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain saw the whole team put in an encouraging shift. Across the whole summer, Mbuemo, Santos, Leny Yoro and Patrick Dorgu emerged as the standout performers, all of whom will be expected to have strong seasons under Carrick.

However, a chastening 4-2 defeat to AC Milan in their final game came as a reality check for the Red Devils. Carrick was outfoxed by former United manager Amorim, and the Rossoneri would have won by an even wider margin had it not been for Senne Lammens' brilliance between the sticks.

"I think, as a whole, it's been very good," Carrick told MUTV when asked to assess the tour. "There are a lot of positives to take from it. I think a lot of the performances, the group's grown and got stronger. Barring today, we're disappointed with today. We didn't play well today, so there's reasons for that. We need to learn from [it]. We need to improve.

"But on the whole, we're ready for next week. I think a lot of the boys will be better for the minutes and we've done a lot of work on the training pitch. I think the performances in the games have been pretty good, so we're still in good spirits going into next week."

"I personally just don’t think Michael Carrick’s got that stardust as a manager to win a Champions League or a Premier League," former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said this week on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet. "I don't believe Michael Carrick will win the league or the Champions League with Manchester United, but he's done a really good job."

Carragher added: "He could have a good season and put Manchester United in a position to then go and get a Champions League-winning manager." Given the fact that Carrick was one of the best midfielders of his generation, Carragher's "stardust" comment felt a little unfair. However, he will almost certainly be right about his ex-England team-mate failing to win a major trophy.

Only the most blindly optimistic United fans will be expecting the current squad to deliver Premier League or Champions League glory. Carrick cannot conjure up miracles, although the expected arrival of the physically dominant Baleba will be a major help for the Red Devils. That being said, he's done everything within his power to try to account for the conservative transfer approach in pre-season.

He has tried to make the shift from a counter-attacking team to a possession-based, front-footed one, experimenting with Mbuemo as a false nine to create attacking overloads. All of that work should give the United faithful good value for money when the season kicks off, and Baleba's ferocity in the transitional phase may well push them closer to becoming an elite side again.

However, Carrick should have been given more resources after earning the fans' trust with his man-management skills and reinvigorating the team. As it stands, his first full season in charge is likely to be a rollercoaster ride instead of a smooth one.

There is only one man who fits in this section. Bruno Fernandes landed the PFA Player of the Year award for 2025-26 after an outstanding year that saw him break the Premier League record for the most assists in a single season, and dragged United to third place with his constant risk taking and relentless running.

If United are to have any hope of another top-four finish, Fernandes will be the key man again. The Portuguese playmaker is the most consistent performer in Carrick's ranks, providing a shining example to the younger players as captain, and embodies the winning mentality that made the club so successful in the past.

"Playing against [Fernandes] is a nightmare," Tielemans said in a recent appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "He picks up all the right spaces you don't want the opponent to pick up and he's so tidy on the ball. He's a competitor, he never gives up."

United have reportedly opened talks with Fernandes over a contract extension amid interest from Galatasaray as his current deal enters its final year. It would be a disaster scenario if the 30-year-old ended up leaving for nothing, but the rest of the team now has to match his high standards week in, week out and give him reason to stay.

Gabriel will be eligible to make his Premier League bow this season, and Carrick may even be tempted to blood the youngster before he turns 16 on October 6. His lively cameo against Atletico served as a tantalising glimpse of his vast potential, complete with some lovely touches and fearless bursts into the final third.

If Carrick does hand Gabriel his competitive debut in the early weeks of the season, he will become the youngest player to ever appear for United, breaking the record set by former goalkeeper David Gaskell set in 1958. It would be a risk to do so, because the hype around the England U17 international would then go through the roof, but remarkably, he looks ready to take that step.

Much could depend on whether Carrick follows through with reintegrating Rashford into his line-up, because if not, Dorgu will be the only natural option United have on the left wing - Gabriel's best position. He's a special, two-footed teenager who can open up defences in a blink of an eye; there should always be room for someone so talented at Old Trafford, regardless of age. Gabriel's time will probably come sooner rather than later as United negotiate their way through so many domestic and European games.

Carrick will have done extremely well if he is still sitting in the Old Trafford dugout this time next year. Guiding United to another top-three finish would surely be enough, with a run to FA Cup or Carabao Cup silverware a bonus that would constitute a successful year for the club.

They are realistic goals, but only just. It would not be a surprise if the Red Devils drop out of the Champions League places and suffer an early exit from Europe, prompting INEOS to prematurely abandon the Carrick project, then hire another manager for the same season-salvaging job he has just completed.

When everyone is fit, Carrick has a formidable starting XI to work with that can win any one-off game; we saw that last term in the thrilling victories over Man City and Arsenal. The problem is, United's level will constantly fluctuate when Carrick rotates to cope with the gruelling fixture schedule.

With the same backing that Amorim and Erik ten Hag received, Carrick might have met the famous INEOS target and made United champions again in time for their 150th anniversary. Alas, that still feels like a pipe dream, and expectations should be tempered as Carrick bids to ensure the stability he's brought to the dressing room doesn't crumble away.

Player of the Season: Bruno Fernandes. The 31-year-old maestro will pick up from where he left off in May and carry this United side once again, with a higher scoring rate as he spends the entire year in his favourite No.10 slot.

Biggest disappointment: Andrey Santos. Couldn't nail down a regular role at Chelsea and will face the exact same problem at Old Trafford due to his questionable recovery pace and limited ball-carrying skills.

Best signing: Youri Tielemans. United have a sure-thing on their hands in the supremely creative former Aston Villa man, who will thrive with so many exciting forwards to feed.

Top scorer: Bryan Mbeumo. Likely to be playing through the middle more often this term, and the former Brentford ace has the clinical edge to post the best final goals tally of his entire Premier League career.

European performance: Round of 16. The Red Devils haven't got the deep numbers needed to launch a serious challenge for the Champions League trophy.

League position: Third. Fortunately for Carrick, United are not the only 'Big Six' club going through a transitional phase. He should have just about enough to keep them in the Champions League places.