The Premier League returns this weekend for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Before it begins, we look at some of the key questions facing Manchester United.
Is Michael Carrick the Man?
Another new season, another new era for Manchester United.
Sure, Michael Carrick was initially hired in January, but he was then given the job on a two-year deal after leading United to a third-place finish, now giving him a mandate going forward.
He did little wrong during his first few months in charge. He was a calmer presence in practically every respect than the animated Ruben Amorim, and his background as a former United player helped cool tension between the club and fans.
Most importantly, though, he had 17 games in charge and won 12 of them, ensuring United qualified for the Champions League with three games to spare, having originally taken over with them seventh in the table.
Across his 13 and a half months in charge, Amorim averaged 1.23 points per game in the Premier League, compared to 2.29 for Carrick. In fact, from the day Carrick was hired until the end of the season, United won more points than any other side in the English top flight.
But it’s understandable if the jury is still out on him.
Carrick and United were helped by the fact they only had league football to concentrate on, and competition for the top four wasn’t especially strong. Liverpool had an underwhelming season, Chelsea finished 10th, and Tottenham found themselves in a relegation battle.
On top of that, there was often a sense Amorim did such an unimpressive job that any successor didn’t need to oversee a drastic improvement just to be seen in a positive light.
Carrick did what he needed to do: ditch Amorim’s three-at-the-back system, give Youri Tielemans both look to be really useful additions. However, if you consider Santos a replacement for Casemiro and then remember that Manuel Ugarte will miss most of the season due to injury, United are in exactly the same position as last season when it comes to midfield depth – and the consensus then was they could do with adding another two players to the numbers they already had.
That doesn’t look especially realistic at this point given they’ve lost Ugarte to injury rather than managing to bring in a transfer fee for him, but there still appears to be the need for an athletic, destructive-type number six who can also use the ball effectively.
Tentative suggestions that Diogo Dalot or Marcus Rashford in a United shirt for the last time, but he made a second-half cameo against Milan on Saturday. While not a competitive appearance, it was his first United outing for 20 months.
It’s by no means certain that he’ll still be there come the end of the transfer window, though that looks more likely than not at this point. And there are those at the club welcoming him back with open arms.
Carrick seems pretty enthusiastic to have Rashford at his disposal, while Harry Maguire is convinced he can be an asset. After all, he offers something a bit different to United’s other wide options, and he could be used through the middle in place of Benjamin Sesko if necessary.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact being back at United has on him psychologically. There are bridges to be mended, and he seemed pretty set on remaining at Barcelona before they elected not to take up their purchase option.
Though there is reason to think he could be of real use to Carrick.
After all, from Carrick’s appointment until the end of last season, United’s 22 shots from fast breaks in the Premier League were bettered by only Liverpool (26) and Bournemouth (25), while no one scored more goals (4) than them from such attacks over the same period.
Were that to remain a key part of their arsenal, Rashford’s pace and dynamism would theoretically be a good fit; whether he’d put in the required off-ball work is another matter, though.
Either way, he has the talent to have an impact in attack, and a season at Barcelona may have sharpened his mind. For instance, he averaged a goal or assist every 105 minutes in all competitions last term, a figure only three of his teammates could better.
If ability was the only important factor here, there’d be no question about Rashford’s usefulness. But it could be a little while yet before we know how deep the scars are and how much of a barrier they will be for the player or the team.
Will United Be Less Susceptible in Transition?
Vulnerability in transition has been an issue for United for several years, and last season wasn’t massively different in that their seven goals conceded from fast breaks was the joint most in the Premier League.
However, only two of those came after Carrick’s arrival, while their 14 shots conceded from fast breaks over that same period was bettered by just six teams.
The midfield pairing of Mainoo and Casemiro certainly wasn’t the most mobile, and there were still moments when United looked too leggy in the middle. But clearly the structure of Carrick’s team meant the midfield was left exposed less often than Amorim’s was – it probably also helped that Bryan Mbeumo is occasionally required to feature up top, Lacey could be a useful rotation option with
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