Manchester United's squad would have been significantly stronger this season had the club delivered the five transfer targets Michael Carrick wanted in the summer, according to reports. The Red Devils spent just shy of £145million on Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, while also signing Karl Darlow on a free transfer.
While those additions boosted their numbers in midfield, they were unable to achieve their goals in other positions. None of those midfielders were at the top of United's wishlist, only arriving after they had missed out on other, more pressing targets.
Carrick's Frustration Over Missed Deals
Carrick was also eager to sign a left-back and several forward players and was left frustrated when those deals failed to materialise, according to The Guardian. Had United succeeded in giving the 45-year-old what he actually wanted, they could have been in a much better position with a significantly stronger squad.
Express Sport looks at five transfer targets who would have improved United had they arrived in the summer.
Five Targets That Got Away
Morgan Rogers was high on Carrick's list of preferred targets, according to the same Guardian report. The pair worked together at Middlesbrough, and the recently-sacked United boss was reportedly convinced that he wanted to come to Old Trafford. However, it's claimed the Red Devils would have never got close to the £117m eventually paid by Chelsea to secure his signature.
It was a similar story with Elliot Anderson, who was among United's top choices in the middle of the park. Instead, he ended up moving to Manchester City, who shelled out another nine-figure fee to secure his signature. The report claims that it wasn't due to a lack of trying on United's part. Club executives felt they had done everything they could within their budget constraints, but it just wasn't enough.
United went further in their pursuit of Mateus Fernandes, who looked likely to join the Red Devils until Tottenham swooped in to land him for themselves. His impressive physical and technical qualities, in addition to his high potential for additional growth, would have made him a shrewd signing for United. But again, it never materialised, which was another source of frustration for Carrick.
Forward and Defensive Targets
Semenyo was on United's hit list six months earlier, when he was destined to leave Bournemouth in the January window. They were far from the only club in the running, though, and he moved to City. He has since strengthened his position as one of the Premier League's best attackers and would have been a star player for United had he chosen Old Trafford instead of the Etihad Stadium.
It's not very often that clubs sign players from their direct rivals, but United made an ambitious attempt to do just that in the summer. On the final day of the window, they enquired about Rayan Ait-Nouri's availability but were told a firm no by their cross-city adversaries. He would have offered quality cover for Luke Shaw and potentially served as his long-term replacement, with his contract up in the summer. Perhaps it could be a move to revisit when the window opens again in January.
