Five players who featured in Manchester United's humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 2023 started against Fulham last week, highlighting how little the squad has changed despite more than £1 billion spent in the last four years.
Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez all played in the 1-1 draw with Fulham, and they were all on the pitch during the Anfield humiliation. Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah each scored twice, with Roberto Firmino adding a late goal.
Heaviest Premier League defeat
The 7-0 loss was United's heaviest in the Premier League and their joint-worst of all time in all competitions. It came just days after Erik ten Hag secured silverware with a 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle.
Since then, United have gone through three managers – one permanent and two interim – and now have Michael Carrick, who enjoyed a successful interim spell after Ruben Amorim was sacked in January. After a stuttering start to the season, Carrick is under pressure from fans.
Familiar faces remain
Casemiro left the club in the summer after agreeing a free exit midway through the 2025/26 campaign and now plays for Inter Miami. Raphael Varane departed for Como in 2024 before retiring due to a knee injury.
David de Gea is captaining Fiorentina in Serie A after 12 years at United. Fred returned to Brazil months after the rout and plays for Atletico Mineiro. Wout Weghorst, who started in the No. 10 role, joined Twente after two seasons with Ajax. Antony spent two more years at United before a permanent move to La Liga with Real Betis.
New arrivals but little change
Seven new players arrived this summer, including Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Yet with five starters still remaining from the 7-0 defeat, the squad shows how much has not changed at United.
