Manchester United have decided that left-back is the most pressing issue to be fixed in Michael Carrick's squad ahead of the new season. The club had a flurry of transfer activity a month ago when they signed Karl Darlow, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but they had always planned to pause and assess where they stood.
That has meant analysing Carrick's squad and market opportunities remaining, and left-back is now seen as the area most in need of investment, although a deal for Lewis Hall appears all but dead. United had identified Hall as their top target for the position, but the 21-year-old is set to stay at Newcastle, with the Magpies determined to stem the flow of star players heading for the St James' Park exit door this summer.
Lewis-Skelly among options
Myles Lewis-Skelly remains a player of interest to United, and there is a view Arsenal could now cash in on the 19-year-old. The Hale End academy graduate ended last season as a key man in midfield for the Gunners, but he will face more competition for that role now that Bruno Guimaraes has joined the club for £75million. Lewis-Skelly also sees his path to first-team football blocked at left-back, and he will have looked on enviously at the progress of his close friend Ayden Heaven at United since he swapped the Emirates Stadium for Old Trafford in January 2025.
The teenager will count as a homegrown player in Premier League and UEFA squad rules and is young enough to be seen as Luke Shaw's long-term successor. But he isn't the only option on the table, with United running the rule over 19-year-old Jorge Salinas of Racing Santander and Club Brugge's Joaquin Seys, 21. That is the kind of age range United are looking at in the left-back market, which makes a move for Fulham's 29-year-old American international Antonee Robinson unlikely.
Heaton injury blow
Tom Heaton will find out the extent of the injury he picked up against Paris St-Germain in Gothenburg next weekend, but the goalkeeper is set to face at least a few weeks on the sidelines. The injury looked innocuous at the time, and there was no great concern when Heaton came to be replaced by Dermot Mee in that game, but it has proved to be a more serious issue than first suspected.
The injury is a blow to the 40-year-old, who had played a prominent role in pre-season this summer and remains an extremely popular member of the squad. His place has been taken by Mee, who came on to star in the penalty shoot-out against Leeds at Croke Park. Heaton watched from afar and was delighted to see the impact made by the 23-year-old, who then spoke glowingly of how Heaton had been the biggest influence on his career after the game.
Carrick wants more signings
Carrick made it pretty clear he wants more signings at United before the end of the window, and while a left-back is the priority at the moment, there is a desire to see another midfielder come in as well. United have been open to signing three midfielders throughout this window, but have suggested they could stop at two after the additions of Santos and Tielemans, who have both impressed.
The concern has always been fitness, and Mason Mount's absence from the squad for the games against Leeds and AC Milan has reinforced Carrick's desire to sign another midfielder. Mount came off against Paris St-Germain as a "precaution" and the reason for missing the next two games is also put down as a precaution, but even if that's the case, it shows the 27-year-old has to be handled with care. It's meant more chances for Toby Collyer, but the 22-year-old is still expected to be sold before the end of the transfer window, with United ready to offload a few academy graduates before the window shuts. Tyler Fletcher won't be going anywhere, but he made a mistake against Leeds and it only proved how big the step up can be.
Sesko shirt watch
Still no sign of Benjamin Sesko in pre-season. The plan was for him to play some minutes against AC Milan, but that target has now been missed. United remain confident Sesko can be part of the squad against Hull City, and it also means we will find out if he is changing shirt number this season this week. The club have been opting to reveal shirt number changes before any player features for the first time. With Sesko not playing in pre-season, and numbers no longer a feature of training gear, it remains unclear whether the £73million striker will opt to take on Rasmus Hojlund's No.9 shirt.
Carrington dispatch
United's trip to Ireland featured another first for them, with the Amazon All or Nothing cameras properly embedded with the team for the first time this summer. After a bit of a getting-to-know-you process, they were in situ at Carton House and filming everywhere. Most of the producers are from non-football backgrounds, which some United staff think will prove to be a bonus, bringing a fresh set of eyes to a behind-the-scenes football documentary. Carrick was poking fun at one of the Amazon crew members on Thursday and he has been comfortable with them around the place.
Quote of the week
"I think we've done really good business and we've got some really top, top, top players. So we're delighted with that, 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."
Michael Carrick left little to interpretation in his comments on transfers. The window will have barely two weeks to run after this weekend and the United head coach wants more new arrivals.
What to look out for next week
United have had a good pre-season. Players and coaching staff have loved the change of rhythm and felt they have got a lot out of spending so much time at Carrington, and they are ready to hit the ground running. But the only concern is the squad depth and the clock is ticking loudly towards the end of the transfer window. It feels like things need to start moving next week if United are to give Carrick the squad he wants.
