Carrick insists United must strengthen squad for Champions League return
Michael Carrack acknowledges recent £83m investment but warns that left-back and central midfield require reinforcement to compete at the highest level.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has declared that the club must continue to pursue new signings this summer, identifying specific structural weaknesses ahead of their return to the Champions League. Carrick, who is preparing for his first full Premier League campaign as head coach, acknowledged the club’s recent £83m expenditure on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, yet insisted that further business is essential to remain competitive.
The manager highlighted left-back and central midfield as critical areas requiring improvement. United missed out on targets Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes because rival clubs offered higher fees, with newly promoted sides Ipswich and Coventry reportedly spending more than United in certain instances. Carrick noted that while the club must be realistic about its recent financial history, it cannot afford to fall behind in the market if it wishes to win again.
Carrick also addressed the status of Marcus Rashford, confirming that the forward is treated as any other player in the squad. Despite previous tension and loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, Carrick stated that Rashford remains a United player and brings a different quality to the team. The forward is set to face his former manager Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday.
On the development of young talent, Carrick praised Kobbie Mainoo’s resilience following his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad. Drawing on his own experience of being overlooked by Fabio Capello in 2010, Carrick revealed he maintained contact with Mainoo during the tournament to offer support. He described the midfielder’s quick rise and current form as a significant achievement.
The club’s pre-season tour included matches against Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Leeds United in Dublin. Carrick, who won 12 of his 17 games in charge last season in an interim capacity, described his role as the public face of the institution as a privilege, while acknowledging the pressure to address media scrutiny regarding transfer activity.
