Manchester United have 15 days to find the missing piece of their midfield jigsaw, with manager Michael Carrick calling for more additions before the transfer deadline. The club have spent £85million on three signings this summer – Karl Darlow, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans – but they must make more before the window closes.
Carrick's 'keep pushing' message
Carrick's approach to media engagements differs sharply from that of his former boss Jose Mourinho. Mourinho, whose relationship with Ed Woodward grew strained in the summer of 2018, openly expressed his discontent during a pre-season tour, saying, "Of course I'm not happy" when asked about squad strength. United signed no further players that window, and Mourinho was sacked months later.
Carrick, in contrast, is disarming and gives little away. However, speaking in Dublin last week, he did signal a desire for reinforcements: "We always want to improve, we want to, you know, we want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that, so that never stops. We're conscious of that and we've got to keep pushing." The 'keep pushing' comment was as pointed as it gets from Carrick, a clear message to the club's hierarchy.
Midfield concerns highlighted by AC Milan defeat
United spent £215m on transfers (excluding add-ons) last summer, but this window they have spent relatively little. They could still splash a combined £100m on a midfielder and a left-back and remain £30m below last summer's total. The need for a third midfielder was underlined by last weekend's pre-season defeat against AC Milan, where Tielemans started alongside Santos behind Bruno Fernandes. Tielemans' passing was decent, but he lacks mobility and offers limited protection to the back four. Santos, 22, wants to play as the No.6 and has the skillset, but he is not yet the finished article. Ideally, United would sign a 'plug-in and play' midfielder to fill the role Casemiro once occupied.
Options dwindle as deadline approaches
However, options have dwindled as the summer window has progressed. United sources indicated that a deal for Atalanta's Ederson could be revisited later in the window, but Ederson signed a new contract with Atalanta, ending that possibility. The worrying development is that signing a new left-back may have leapfrogged the midfield on United's agenda. Luke Shaw cannot play twice a week, and without a deputy for a 60-game-plus campaign, he would be set up to fail. Yet the midfield should be the more urgent priority.
Current midfield options include Fernandes, Santos, Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount – a strong department, but the defensive quality is questionable. United cannot afford to roll the dice. Fortunately, the club have a kind start to the Premier League season, facing newly promoted Hull and Ipswich Town before the deadline, providing time to make signings. But the clock is running down, and United face a race against time to strengthen in the remaining 15 days of the window.
