Manchester United's Transfer Plans: Three Key Positions to Fill

Manchester United are not done yet.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has outlined three more positions the club are actively exploring before the window shuts, as Michael Carrick pushes for a squad he believes can “do something special” this season.

United’s summer plan far from finished

United have already moved decisively in the market, bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow in a busy early burst of business. Those deals have given Carrick fresh depth through the spine of his team, but the noise around Old Trafford had quietened in recent weeks.

Behind the scenes, the work has not stopped.

Romano reports that United are still targeting a third midfielder to follow Tielemans and Santos, a new left-back to support and cover Luke Shaw, and a potential striker if the right deal lands in their lap.

On his YouTube channel, Romano relayed Carrick’s own message of intent.

“Michael Carrick said today that we can do something special this season, which shows the ambition inside Manchester United,” Romano explained.

Carrick has publicly stressed that he likes the balance of his current squad, yet he has also been clear: there are “one or two positions” the club are still trying to strengthen.

The priorities are clear. A left-back. Another midfielder. And, if the market breaks their way, a forward to sharpen the attack.

“The search for a left-back and a third midfielder” is ongoing, Romano said, while “something could also happen in attack if the right opportunity appears.” His expectation is blunt: he still sees United adding more faces before the window closes.

Rashford trust runs deep

Carrick’s transfer stance is only part of the story. His handling of Marcus Rashford could define United’s attacking edge this season.

Romano revealed that Carrick’s glowing public assessment of Rashford is matched behind closed doors.

“Carrick also spoke very positively about Marcus Rashford,” Romano noted.

The manager has praised Rashford’s mood since returning to the club, stressing that the forward can bring “something different and something special” to this team and that he knows the player “very well”.

According to Romano, that is not just press-conference talk.

“I am told those positive messages have also been consistent in private, so Carrick is more than happy to continue with Marcus Rashford.”

No mixed signals. No uncertainty. Rashford remains central to Carrick’s plans.

Mainoo’s World Cup lesson

Carrick has also moved to protect and encourage Kobbie Mainoo after a testing World Cup in which the midfielder did not play a single minute for England.

From the outside, that kind of tournament can look like a missed opportunity. Carrick sees it differently.

“I spoke to him all the way through the World Cup, not loads, but little bits,” he said, lifting the lid on the quiet support behind the scenes.

He pointed to the “glitz” and “glamour” that people associate with football, before reminding everyone that players “are human beings” who ride out “ups and downs”.

For Mainoo, the lack of game time has not been written off as a failure. Carrick called it “a good experience” and underlined the scale of the stage: “It’s a World Cup and that is a big step.”

Mainoo’s rapid rise is central to the manager’s thinking. “He’s still such a young man and he’s achieved so much, so quickly. To be at the stage he’s at is an achievement.”

United’s summer, then, is being built on two tracks: targeted recruitment and fierce backing for the talent already in the building. The window still has time to run. The question now is whether the final pieces Carrick wants will arrive in time to turn that “something special” into a season that actually delivers.