Michael Carrick Delivers Strong Transfer Verdict After Earning Permanent Man Utd Job

Michael Carrick has warned Manchester United's recruitment team there is "obviously work to do" to ensure his squad can continue to build on their strong form.

Carrick was recently named United's permanent manager after a dazzling interim spell that led the team back to the Champions League, sealing a third-place finish with games to spare.

Now preparing for his first full season in charge, Carrick made it clear he expects to see a handful of new faces arriving at Old Trafford this summer.

"I think the beauty of the next transfer window, for everybody, it's always the biggest thing in the world, and the most important transfer window of all time, for every club, I think," Carrick explained.

"That's just the nature of how it's been created, to be honest, and I think, again, as a football club, you want to keep moving forward. We certainly do. As a football club, we want to keep moving forward.

"I think it's acknowledged we're at this stage, and the dynamics and the balance of the direction we're at, where we've ended up getting to and finishing in the league, there's obviously work to do.

"It's quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there's a bit of work to do, but this one is not any more important than the last one, it's what's ahead of us as a football club to try and make the most of it."

Carrick: Mainoo Making Recruitment ‘Easier' for Man Utd

Chief among United's transfer needs this summer is a new central midfielder. Casemiro will depart upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the season, while Carrick's continuation at Old Trafford likely spells the end for Manuel Ugarte.

Departures for those two would leave Kobbie Mainoo as the only natural central midfielder in the squad. Finding a partner for the homegrown youngster is the top priority and Carrick insisted Mainoo's versatility makes the search for a new recruit as easy as it possibly could be.

"There's a balance as a football club, because you're not necessarily, whenever it is, bringing a player in just to play with one player," Carrick explained. "I think it's about fitting the squad, the balance of the squad, being able to cope with playing here in different competitions for so many games.

"So it's not necessarily ... I'm talking quite broad here in general. With any player, you're not just bringing them just to play with one player, but certainly there's a dynamic and there's a balance that needs to be had.

"The beauty about Kobbie is that he can do so many things well, and I think he's proven that, and he's evolved so much in the four or five months that I've seen his progress. And that's him.

"I'm not taking the credit for that. He's done that himself, but I think he's shown that he can do so many things. So it makes bringing players in to play with a player like Kobbie a little bit easier when he can adapt himself, and I think he's adapted over time."

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 1:41 PM.