Manchester United's Defensive Issues: Danny Simpson's Insights

Manchester United’s defensive flaws are back under the microscope – and this time, Danny Simpson is not pulling any punches.

United may have dragged themselves to a third-place finish last season and reclaimed a Champions League spot, but the numbers behind that campaign told a different story. Fifty goals conceded in 38 league games. Arsenal, who went on to win the title, shipped almost half that. The warning signs were there. They flashed all season.

United looked the other way.

Instead of reinforcing the back line in the summer of 2026, the club poured more money into midfield, having already strengthened the attack the previous year. The recruitment model is now being questioned, and with good reason. Four games into the new Premier League season, Michael Carrick’s side have just four points and not a single clean sheet.

They leaked two at Hull. Two more at home to Ipswich. Then again on the road at Everton. And when they needed discipline and focus most, Erling Haaland struck a controversial winner for City in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Same story. Same soft underbelly.

For Simpson, a former United full-back who knows what a reliable back four looks like, the issue is glaring.

“They're conceding too many goals,” he told GOAL, speaking courtesy of Free Bets. “Yes, we're good going forward though, most of the time. But I think it was well documented that we needed a left-back with Luke [Shaw]. Even though Luke was fantastic last season, I think everyone knows Luke can't play two games a week.”

United want to compete on all fronts. That means the expanded Champions League – eight group-stage games – and deep runs in the domestic cups. Shaw cannot carry that load alone. The club knew it. They still gambled.

“Patrick Dorgu, he's in at left-back. We've seen that at the weekend [against City],” Simpson said. “The way he played last season before he got injured, higher up, was a decent threat. Centre-back? I think Harry [Maguire] and [Lisandro] Martinez are the two.”

There, at least, Simpson sees clarity. Maguire and Martinez as the pairing. Shaw as the senior left-back. But the picture blurs quickly around them.

“I do worry about full-backs,” he admitted. “I think the inconsistency – one week it's [Noussair] Mazraoui, then it's [Diogo] Dalot, then one week they are an eight, next week they are five. I don't think anyone in any league, whether you're playing in the Premier League, the Champions League, trying to do well, you can't have players in your defence that are one week doing eight and the next week five.”

Attackers can ride those waves. Defenders cannot.

“I think up top you can, because if you've got a winger that's playing a five, you're going to change him and he normally gets swapped after six or seven,” Simpson said. “You can't do that with your defence. You need a set back four that's a seven every week. And then if they're not playing, who comes in?”

United do have numbers. What they lack is certainty. Several squad players remain unconvincing, and one of the most scrutinised is Yoro, the young centre-back signed from Lille in 2024. He is still only 20, already on 69 appearances for the club, but Simpson expected more development by now.

“Dalot's injured, [Ayden] Heaven, we haven't seen him since the Hull game, not surprised, probably the wrong game for him to play in,” Simpson said, turning to the wider picture. “Hull away in the start of the season against Oliver McBurnie, probably not the best.”

Then came the blunt assessment.

“Yoro hasn't kicked on at all. He's been here two years now? You look at everything, when he came in he was young and slight, why is he not in the gym? Why has he not got any bigger? Why is he not stronger? He doesn't look like he's done anything in two years in terms of his physique. You know the Premier League is tough.”

For Simpson, the conclusion is simple. Strip away the rotation, the experiments, the hopeful punts on potential. Build around a core and trust it.

“So, your back four is your back four – which is Shaw, Martinez, Maguire and Dalot.”

That is the line he would draw. Whether Carrick and United follow it could define not just their season, but how long this defensive “puzzle” is allowed to drag on.