United's Champions League draw pits Carrick against Bayern again and Atlético Madrid

Manchester United’s Champions League group-stage humiliation of 2023-24 — finishing bottom behind Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray — has given way to a more demanding eight-opponent league phase, and Thursday’s draw handed Michael Carrick’s side a fixture list that pulls no punches. Bayern Munich return to Old Trafford, joined by Roma, RB Leipzig and debutants Sabah as home visitors, while away trips to Atlético Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, Villarreal and Como complete the picture.

The minimum target is a top-24 finish to secure automatic progress to the play-off round, a bar United should clear on paper but one that will test the depth and fitness of a squad still being assembled. Carrick inherited a side already eliminated from both domestic cups when he took charge last season, which gave him an unusually light schedule to embed his methods. The result was a third-place Premier League finish that had looked improbable during the final weeks of Rubén Amorim’s tenure. The 2026-27 campaign demands more.

The summer transfer window has reshaped United’s midfield significantly. Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba have arrived for a combined outlay of more than £150 million, giving Carrick greater options for rotation across a congested calendar. Whether that depth extends far enough remains the question. Left-back cover is still considered thin, and the fitness records of Lisandro Martínez and Mason Mount continue to draw scrutiny.

The opening-day Premier League defeat to Hull City also exposed a potential vulnerability up front. Benjamin Sesko was absent, and United struggled to find an attacking focal point without him — a problem that could be amplified against the calibre of opposition they will face in Europe.

Carrick won the Champions League twice as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson and understands what the competition demands at its highest level. Now he must demonstrate that the tactical flexibility and squad management required to compete on multiple fronts are part of his managerial toolkit as well. The draw has given him no easy entry point to find out.