How Michael Carrick’s Manchester United could look in 2026-27

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After a string of successive failings at Manchester United, Michael Carrick brought a breath of fresh air to the club at the start of the year. The Red Devils lost just two of their seventeen matches with Carrick in charge, winning twelve and drawing three. We’ll never know what might have been possible had he been in charge from the start of last season. But now we’ll get a chance to find out all that is possible in 2026-27.

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For all the previous years of plugging any hole with stardust and star power, United made sensible off-season signings last summer. They gained proven Premier League experience in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo; and found steady upgrades in Benjamin Šeško and Senne Lammens. It wasn’t the year they found the next coming of Bruno Fernandes or Wayne Rooney; but they instead made subtle gains on the rest of the league through smarter, cheaper moves.

Already, the club have taken a similar approach this summer. Instead of splashing the cash on an immediate Casemiro replacement, they’ve stolen Andrey Santos away from Chelsea, and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. Weakening their top four rivals whilst strengthening their own squad is a major plus. In the process, they’ve also brought more versatility to their midfield, even if they haven’t completely closed the Casemiro gap.

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As the summer unfolds, we’re likely to see a similar approach. United shied away from spending big on Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers like City and Chelsea; and have focused the off-season on promoting youth into the first team.

With good reason too. The squad are not that far away from making their own title challenge. Marcus Rashford will hopefully return on the wing, and Matthijs de Ligt is expected to soon make his return at the back. Patrick Dorgu, Ayden Heaven, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo should improve as they continue to age, after all putting up solid seasons last year.

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In Šeško, Cunha and Mbeumo they have goals from any direction. And while they’ve lost Casemiro, keeping hold of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw means that United still have their leadership, experience and captaincy group in-tact.

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The next few weeks will now be Carrick’s time to prepare the squad for all the continued harmony they witnessed from January to June. Integrating Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos will be important puzzle pieces in that quest. And as they do, Carrick just might found out whether or not he still needs to find a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro.

DO UNITED STILL NEED A CASEMIRO REPLACEMENT?

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In Carrick’s reign in charge of United last season, Casemiro became irreplaceable. Not only was he their only destructor in midfield; but he finished the season on a career high 9 goals. It might be decades before the Red Devils get that kind of scoring output from a defensive midfielder again.

So if his goals can’t be replaced, and even some of his defensive work becomes difficult to restore, at least United can acquire an upgrade in possession. Casemiro was never the absolute best line-breaker or possession player, even if a solid contributor with his passing and control. In a midfield that included Kobbie Mainoo (who can carry the ball like an NFL running back), and Bruno Fernandes (who can pass his way out of any situation), he didn’t need to be.

But herein lies the opportunity United now have. They can add a different kind of presence to their midfield, that can offer more in possession, even if they offer slightly less in defense (and both boxes). Andrey Santos seems to fit that bill. The Brazilian passes well out from the back and progresses with ease, but he’s also a combative dueller. Santos won over 62% of his duels last season, a stat that would rank him in the top 6% of those in his position.

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He’s disciplined in his approach, positionally sound, and tactically astute. At the age of 22, this is an incredibly smart buy, even if £50 million may be an expensive price tag. But while he’s good in the tackle and a smart reader of the game, he’s not exactly the same player as his compatriot.

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Unless he drastically increases in size, stature, and simplicity, he might be more similar to Kobbie Mainoo. This doesn’t mean that a midfield pairing of Mainoo and Santos can’t work, nor that Santos isn’t capable of being the defensive presence in Man United’s midfield.

To start the pre-season, Santos has already been seen dropping in between centre-backs to pick up possession and progress passes through the lines. He’s been paired up well with Mason Mount, who also reads the game well in both attack and defense.

But then the question becomes about United’s other new signing – Youri Tielemans. If Andrey Santos is the man to offer greater progressive passing from a ‘6’ position, would he be taking anything away from the best assets that Tielemans provides as an ‘8’?

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Likely not. There’s no harm in operating with a double pivot in midfield who can control play out from the back, allowing the full-backs to push up the pitch.

In a double pivot between them, Santos might be tasked with shorter, simpler passes as he holds his position. Tielemans could provide greater range, switches, and carving of a defense, as he floats around the field. Both offer greater passing percentages than anything United had last season, and could work well together when called upon.

The benefit of Tielemans is that he also provides further coverage for Bruno Fernandes. The 29-year-old provides so much class and control to United’s midfield. He’s a very different type of player to what they’ve had in previous years – finally someone that can control the game from deeper on the field. Just imagine if Ruben Amorim had Tielemans at his disposal. Bruno Fernandes would have been able to play higher up the pitch from the start.

Now they can control attacks from deeper on the field without Bruno having to drop all the way back. Or if Bruno does decide to drop in and pick up the ball, Tielemans can float up and prepare to create in the final third. The interchange between these two will be pleasant and complimentary. He played most of his minutes in central midfield last season as the ‘8’ in Villa’s set-up, but also shared some time further up the pitch as a proper ’10’. This kind of versatility will help United as they return to Europe next season, even if it doesn’t solve the Casemiro issue.

It’s worth noting that the Belgian captain is a sound dueller and tackler, and has spent enough time now in a well organized Unai Emery system to handle his own defensive responsibilities.

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So while they haven’t exactly replaced Casemiro’s defensive presence, they’ve clearly made an intentional decision to sign possession-based midfielders who can bring greater control to the midfield, thus allowing Mainoo to do his floating and carrying, and Fernandes to do his creating.

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What this could mean for Mason Mount remains to be seen, but Mount has also been one to move around on the field and fulfill a number of different roles. Michael Carrick simply has more options in midfield than ever before, which should prove to be crucial as they navigate the Champions League.

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But to go all the way back to the original question… yes. There is still a hole worth addressing. As the summer comes to a close, United should end the debate and pick up their Casemiro replacement once and for all. They don’t need anyone flashy or expensive. Just someone that can sit in front of a back-four and comfortably break up play in midfield. If that’s going to be the dedicated role of Andrey Santos, that’s great. But you don’t want to necessarily limit the Brazilian to just that, or require too much for him to develop all in one season, especially alongside someone younger than him.

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In my search back in January, Manuel Locatelli stood out as the best option, offering an upgrade in possession and a similar defensive presence. Amadou Onana emerged as another name I liked for his defensive nous. At this stage, it doesn’t matter if it’s Tyler Adams, Wilfred Ndidi, Joao Palhinha or Aurélien Tchouaméni. Carrick’s team just need someone who can provide greater defensive coverage in midfield – even if they don’t play every match.

United don’t have to rush into that decision, but they haven’t exactly crossed the first item off the to do list. As they continue to search for the right name, here is how United might line up next season.

If you enjoyed this preview of Carrick’s United, be sure to check out my article on Alonso’s Chelsea. Next up, I’ll be writing about De Zerbi’s Spurs and Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City. Thanks for reading and see you soon!