As Manchester United look to build on Michael Carrick's promising interim spell in charge, questions remain over whether the club has done enough business this summer to mount a genuine title challenge under their permanent successor to Ruben Amorim's troubled tenure.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, United have rarely looked like genuine title contenders by the turn of the calendar year. Yet Carrick's brief stint at the helm following his return to Old Trafford in January offered a glimpse of what might be possible. Across 17 matches, United collected 39 points - a tally that, extrapolated over a full season, would have bettered every other club in the division, including Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
That form has earned Carrick a contract extension, albeit a modest two-year deal that suggests the club's hierarchy retains some reservations about committing fully to him as Ferguson's long-term heir. Chief executive Omar Berrada's stated ambition, dubbed Project 150, envisions United returning to Premier League champions by 2028. Given the club's underwhelming transfer activity this summer, that target may need to be reassessed.
Unlike previous windows, United have not dominated the spending charts this time around. Several potential targets slipped through their fingers, with Tottenham hijacking a move for Mateus Fernandes with an £85m bid, while Manchester City's £116m offer for Elliot Anderson proved too rich for United to match.
The club did secure Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a bargain £35m, activating a release clause in the Belgian's contract, and paid £48m for Chelsea's Andrey Santos, who was only a fringe option in west London last season. Whether Carrick can mould the Brazilian into the kind of defensive midfield presence United require remains to be seen, but many observers feel the club's midfield options still lag behind those of Arsenal.
With Casemiro's long-term future uncertain and United yet to find a true like-for-like replacement for his defensive duties, the squad's balance in central areas looks precarious. Adding to the concern is the fitness record of Mason Mount, upon whom United may now be more reliant than they would like.
Elsewhere, the failure to offload contracted players has limited United's ability to reinvest. Manuel Ugarte's proposed departure has stalled due to injury, and Andre Onana has only been sent out on loan rather than sold. There is also a suggestion that Marcus Rashford, exiled by Amorim before his departure, could be reintegrated into the squad under Carrick, whose reputation for man-management may offer the England international a path back into contention - especially given United's financial constraints in the striker market.
Up front, the trio of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko - signed for a combined outlay in the region of £200m - each reached double figures for goals last season, though none has yet emerged as a genuinely elite performer. Bruno Fernandes remains the one undisputed star, his Footballer of the Year award underlining a productive campaign in which he registered 21 Premier League assists. Yet even Fernandes' influence has often come at the cost of shouldering an outsized share of responsibility for the team's fortunes.
Having climbed from 15th to third under Carrick's stewardship, United will find it considerably harder to progress further up the table. A pre-season defeat to Amorim's AC Milan has tempered some of the optimism generated by last season's second-half surge. United have not managed back-to-back top-four finishes since 2021 and have done so only once since Ferguson's departure - meaning even a repeat top-four finish this term would represent a notable achievement for Carrick and his squad.
Based on reporting from The Independent.