Since the summer of 2022 Manchester United have splashed out roughly £219.7 million on eight new defenders, yet the quartet that may line up for the first match of the 2026‑27 season could be the very same four players who started the opening game four years ago. On 7 August 2022 Erik ten Hag’s side began the campaign with Lisandro Martínez – a summer signing costing £56.7 million – alongside Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot. United fell 2‑1 to Brighton, and that back four has resurfaced on a number of occasions since then. In six of ten Premier League fixtures that Michael Carrick has overseen in 2026, he has reverted to the familiar arrangement, and the same could happen when United face Hull City this Saturday.
Although the club has seen a constant churn of personnel, those four defenders have remained a recurring option, albeit with mixed consistency. Over the past four seasons they have only taken the field together ten times, and six of those appearances have come under Carrick’s stewardship. Their limited joint minutes have been shaped by injuries, tactical experiments and managerial turnover.
The first two outings with Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot ended in disappointment. A 4‑0 drubbing at the hands of Brentford was a particularly painful early test.
The quartet then disappeared from the starting line‑up until 30 October 2022, when they helped United secure a 1‑0 victory over West Ham. During that period other players were shuffled in and out of the defence.
Tyrell Malacia, who arrived in the summer of 2022, often partnered with Raphael Varane or Victor Lindelöf, creating a rotating back‑four. Maguire found himself on the bench for much of the early 2022/23 season and also missed a month with a hamstring problem. Both Martínez and Dalot suffered injury setbacks as well, though Dalot’s absences have been relatively brief compared with the Argentine’s recurring woes. Martínez’s injury history has been especially erratic.
He spent the first half of the 2023/24 season nursing a foot problem, then suffered a ruptured ACL in February 2025, forcing him out for nine months before he finally returned in November. Shaw’s availability has been equally sporadic; across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns he managed only 27 appearances in all competitions, his season repeatedly interrupted by various muscular issues. The summer of 2024 saw further upheaval. Varane and Aaron Wan‑Bissaka departed, while three new faces – Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt – joined the squad, followed by two additional signings in January 2025, Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu.
Despite the influx, a stable back‑four never truly materialised, a situation compounded by a mid‑season managerial change. Ten Hag left United in October 2024 and was replaced by Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim. Amorim’s tenure lasted just 14 months and, intriguingly, he never fielded the Martínez‑Maguire‑Shaw‑Dalot combination. A firm advocate of a 3‑4‑3 system, Amorim initially resisted switching to a back four, even as United’s defensive frailties became apparent.
In December 2025 he finally abandoned the three‑centre‑back set‑up, deploying a four‑man defence against Newcastle and securing the club’s first clean sheet since early October. However, Amorim’s stint ended barely two weeks later, reportedly because he felt forced into a tactical compromise. Michael Carrick stepped in as caretaker and, in his debut, reinstated Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot as the starting back line.
United then beat Manchester City 2‑0, and Carrick used that same quartet in five further matches, achieving a record of five wins and one draw without a defeat. The defensive record was not flawless – only two clean sheets were kept and three of the victories were narrow 3‑2 affairs – underscoring that defensive work remains necessary. Adding to the picture, de Ligt has been sidelined by a back injury since November 2025 and has not featured for the first team, although he returned to training this week.
No major defensive arrivals have occurred since Dorgu’s signing 18 months ago. Malacia left in the most recent summer window, while Lindelöf and Jonny Evans exited the club last season. If Carrick intends to persist with the approach he has employed over the past six months, he may soon need to look for fresh options.
Since Carrick’s arrival, United have tended to defend just outside their own box, maintaining a compact shape that has underpinned several impressive victories. Pre‑season, however, has shown a shift – perhaps an evolution – toward a higher defensive line and a more aggressive press‑and‑counter‑press strategy aimed at winning the ball quickly after losing possession. The experiment was exposed in a friendly against Amorim’s Milan side, where United’s press lacked sharpness and the opposition’s fourth goal arrived from a solitary ball over a high line. That moment highlighted a glaring need for a reliable left‑back.
Shaw’s age (over 30) and injury record suggest he may need rotation, especially with the added fixture load of European competition. Supporters are eager to see Dorgu deployed in that role, but he has primarily been utilised as a left winger under Carrick.
A true left‑back could provide the balance United’s back line currently lacks and help mitigate the occasional vulnerability that arises when the high line is breached. Age is another factor to consider.
Maguire and Shaw are both past the 30‑year mark, while Martínez (28) and Dalot (27) are still in what is traditionally viewed as a player’s prime. The question remains whether they can adapt to yet another tactical shift without a drop in performance. In summary, Manchester United’s defensive landscape has undergone numerous changes over the past four years – new signings, departures, injuries and two managerial changes – yet the core quartet of Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot continues to be a viable option for Carrick. Whether this familiar back four can sustain its relevance in the evolving tactical environment of the Premier League remains to be seen, but for the opening weekend of the 2026‑27 campaign, United may well field the same defensive line‑up that first took the field back in August 2022.