Carrick admits Man Utd fell short in transfer window despite £152m summer spend

Michael Carrick has conceded that Manchester United’s summer transfer window left some needs unmet, despite the club spending at least £152m on seven new signings including Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the United manager was candid about the constraints his squad-building operated under. “The situation is what it is in terms of finances and what we can work with,” Carrick said. “There is always other things you can do or could have done — that’s part of evolving the group and trying to push all the time.”

United were linked with a new left-back throughout the summer but allowed the transfer deadline to pass without addressing the position. A second striker was also on the club’s radar, with Carrick suggesting January could offer a further opportunity to strengthen. The £152m figure does not include compensation paid to Swansea for Kit Margeson or the undisclosed fee for Cristian Orozco, meaning the actual outlay is higher still.

Despite the acknowledged gaps, Carrick struck a broadly positive tone about the quality of the players who did arrive. “The players we brought in, I’m delighted with — for the quality and level we’ve got, I’m really happy with,” he said. “We have a good dynamic in the squad. We’ve got players that are flexible and can play in different positions.”

On the broader challenge of rebuilding the club, Carrick was measured in his expectations. “What squad is ever perfect? You always have to find ways of adapting. It’s not going to be one hit — not just talking about players, it’s the whole thing, improving as a group. There’s a whole road we have to go down.”

Joshua Zirkzee, who was linked with a departure from Old Trafford during the window, remains part of Carrick’s plans. “Josh is important,” the manager said. “Josh is happy here, I have a really good relationship with him. He wants to play more than he has done — that’s the healthy competition for places. He can do some really top things and I look forward to him doing it a little bit more.”