Since the summer of 2022 Manchester United have splashed out roughly £219.7 million on eight new defenders, yet the quartet that could line up for the first match of the 2026‑27 campaign may be the very same four players who started the season opener four years ago. On 7 August 2022 Erik ten Hag handed a debut to the newly‑signed Argentine centre‑back Lisandro Martínez – a £56.7 million acquisition – alongside Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot. United fell 2‑1 to Brighton that day, but the four‑man defensive unit was already in place.
Fast‑forward to the present: in six of Michael Carrick’s 17 Premier League fixtures so far in 2026 he has stuck with that exact back four, and it looks likely that the same lineup will be deployed against Hull City on Saturday. While the club has seen a constant churn of personnel, coaching staff and tactics, those four names have persisted – albeit with varying degrees of consistency.
Over the past four seasons they have been paired together on just ten occasions, and even then sixty percent of those matches have come under Carrick’s stewardship. A mix of injuries, form dips and managerial preferences have all played a part in limiting their joint appearances. The early partnership was rocky. Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot suffered defeats in their first two games together, most painfully a 4‑0 drubbing at the hands of Brentford.
They did not feature as a unit again until 30 October 2022, when United eked out a 1‑0 win over West Ham. During that period the squad also featured newcomers such as Tyrell Malacia – who arrived in the summer of 2022 – as well as the experienced Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelöf, who were rotated in and out of the back line alongside the core four. Maguire, in particular, found himself on the bench for large stretches of the 2022/23 season and even missed a month with a hamstring problem. Injuries have been a recurring theme.
Both Martínez and Dalot missed spells in the 2022/23 campaign, though Dalot’s injury record has been relatively modest. Martínez endured a prolonged foot injury that kept him out for most of the first half of the 2023/24 season, and then suffered a ruptured ACL in February 2025. After nine months of rehabilitation he finally returned to action in November 2025. Shaw’s situation has been equally turbulent.
A series of niggling ailments saw him in and out of the squad, and across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons he managed only 27 appearances in all competitions. By contrast, the summer of 2024 brought a wave of departures – Varane and Aaron Wan‑Bissaka left the club – and a fresh influx of talent: Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt joined permanently, while Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu arrived in the January 2025 transfer window.
Despite the new faces, the back four never really settled, a problem that was compounded by a mid‑season managerial change. Ten Hag departed in October 2024 and was succeeded by Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim. Amorim’s tenure lasted just fourteen months, and during that period he never fielded the Martínez‑Maguire‑Shaw‑Dalot combination. A firm believer in a 3‑4‑3 system, Amorim clung to a back three even when results suggested otherwise.
It was not until December 2025 that he finally abandoned the three‑centre‑back shape, opting for a traditional back four against Newcastle – a decision that produced United’s first clean sheet since early October. However, Amorim’s stint ended abruptly less than two weeks later, reportedly because he felt forced into the tactical shift. Michael Carrick was then appointed interim manager. In his debut, Carrick reverted to the familiar quartet of Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot, and United secured a 2‑0 victory over city rivals Manchester City.
Carrick would go on to use that same defensive unit five more times, achieving a record of five wins and one draw, albeit with only two clean sheets. Three of those victories were narrow 3‑2 affairs, underscoring that defensive solidity remains a work‑in‑progress.
Adding to the complexity is de Ligt’s long‑term injury. The Dutch centre‑back has not featured since November 2025 because of a back problem, meaning he was unavailable for Carrick’s selections, although he rejoined first‑team training this week. No significant defensive reinforcements have arrived since Dorgu’s signing eighteen months ago. Meanwhile, Malacia departed in the summer, and both Lindelöf and Jonny Evans left the club last year.
If Carrick wishes to maintain his current approach, he may soon need to explore the market for fresh options. Since Carrick took the helm, United’s defensive philosophy has been clear: defend compactly just outside their own penalty area, stay tight and limit space for opponents. This structure underpinned several impressive wins.
Yet the pre‑season fixtures have hinted at a possible evolution – or perhaps a regression – from that model. United have been pressing higher up the pitch, aiming to win the ball back quickly after losing possession, a shift that demands greater stamina and coordination from the back line.
The pre‑season match against Amorim’s Milan side exposed a vulnerability. United’s high line was caught out, and the fourth goal came from a solitary pass that sliced through a defence that was positioned too far forward. The incident illustrates why United urgently need a reliable left‑back. Shaw, now over 30, cannot be expected to shoulder the entire workload, especially with the added fixtures that European competition brings.
Supporters have expressed a desire to see Dorgu feature at left‑back, but so far he has been deployed mainly as a left winger under Carrick. A left‑back with pace and defensive acumen could help United execute their preferred style: press aggressively, transition swiftly, and recover quickly when caught out. The squad also faces an age‑related dilemma.
Maguire and Shaw are both in their early thirties, while Martínez (28) and Dalot (27) are approaching what is traditionally considered a player’s prime. The question remains whether they can adapt to yet another tactical overhaul without a dip in performance. In summary, Manchester United have undergone massive changes in ownership, management, and personnel over the past four years, yet the defensive core has remained eerily familiar.
Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot still constitute a viable back four for Carrick, but the sustainability of that arrangement is uncertain. Injuries, age, tactical demands and a lack of recent defensive signings suggest that the club may soon need to refresh its back line if it hopes to compete on multiple fronts and achieve the defensive stability that has so often eluded it.