Michael Carrick's Ambitious Plans for Manchester United

Michael Carrick is heading into his first full season in charge at Old Trafford with a clear message for the Manchester United hierarchy: the job is not done.

United have already spent around £85m on midfield duo Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans and picked up goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free from Leeds, while youngsters Tynan Thompson, Kit Margetson and Cristian Orozco have also arrived. The spine has been nudged, not ripped up. But Carrick’s words cut through any sense of satisfaction.

“We want more, we need more,” he told Sky Sports News. No dressing it up. No pretending this squad is complete.

Carrick wants the rebuild to continue

United went into this window with two clear priorities: reshape the midfield after Casemiro’s departure and bring in cover for new No 1 Senne Lammens. On paper, Santos and Tielemans tick the first box, Darlow the second. Inside the club, though, there’s no feeling that the heavy lifting is over.

“We’re delighted with the players we’ve brought in, first and foremost,” Carrick said. “We’ve improved the group. We’ve improved the squad in different ways. Balance, quality and the direction we want to go in.

“So the players that we’ve brought in, I think we’ve done really good business and we’ve got some top, top, top players. So we’re delighted with that. We always want to improve.

“We want more, we need more. We keep looking forward to how we can do that. So that never stops. We’re conscious of that and we’ve got to keep pushing.”

The fanbase has already begun to grow restless, sensing both the opportunity and the gaps. Carrick’s comments won’t quiet that noise. If anything, they echo it.

Rashford returns to a different United

Amid the transfer manoeuvres, one of the most intriguing developments of United’s summer needs no fee at all. Marcus Rashford is back.

The England forward has rejoined Carrick’s squad for pre-season after Barcelona opted not to trigger their £26m buy option at the end of his loan. Rashford spent last season in Spain, his first campaign away from Old Trafford, following an earlier loan spell at Aston Villa after a fallout with Ruben Amorim – the same Amorim whose AC Milan side United will face in a friendly this weekend.

If he features, it will be Rashford’s first appearance for United since December 2024. The stage is familiar, but the context has shifted. New manager. New dressing-room dynamics. New expectations.

Carrick, once a teammate of Rashford, insists there is no special treatment.

“We’re really calm [about bringing Rashford back in],” he said. “We just treat it like anybody else coming into the group. There’s obviously this slight twist that he knows the club as well as anybody and that’s a real positive.

“He’s been here all his career, all his life before the last eight months or so to understand what it means. So that side of things is natural. That’s a given. I know we’ve got history, but I’ve got history with a number of other players as well, so that doesn’t make that a unique situation at all.

“We treat him exactly like any other player, and bring him into the group and carry on as normal.

“He brings a group of things that we haven’t got and we want to get that balance with every individual player and Marcus has come back. He’s in good form and he’s been good to have around this week.”

For Carrick, Rashford is not just another returning loanee. He is a potential solution to a problem area without United having to spend a penny.

Left-back, midfield… and the Rashford factor up front

So where next before the window slams shut on September 1?

United are actively looking for a left-back and are considering whether to move for a third central midfielder. A new forward, though, is unlikely as things stand, with Rashford’s reintegration seen as a major piece of the puzzle in attack.

Recruitment staff have explored a deal for Lewis Hall, but Newcastle have made it clear he is not for sale after United’s enquiry earlier in the summer. Fulham’s Antonee Robinson has also been assessed as an option, with United keen on an attacking left-back who can push high and stretch games.

Harry Amass has been given minutes in pre-season, a glimpse of the club’s long-term thinking, but he is expected to leave before the end of the window. The search continues.

In midfield, United’s long-standing admiration for Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly has not gone away. His ability to operate both at left-back and in central areas makes him an especially attractive profile, potentially solving two issues in one move. Whether United actually act on that interest in this window remains unclear.

Inside the club, there is an acceptance that the squad may have to go into the season without that extra midfielder. Tielemans and Santos have already arrived, and the budget and opportunities may not align for a third signing in that area.

The clock is ticking. Carrick has his first pieces in place, a returning homegrown star in Rashford and a squad that looks more balanced than it did at the end of last season. But his message is blunt and unmistakable.

United, he insists, still “want more” and “need more”. With the deadline looming, the next few weeks will show just how far the club are willing to go to match their manager’s ambition.