Since the summer of 2022 Manchester United have splashed out a total of £219.7 million on eight new defenders, yet the quartet that could start the opening match this weekend may be identical to the back four that took the field on the first day of the 2022‑23 campaign. On 7 August 2022 Erik ten Hag handed a start to the newly‑signed Argentine centre‑back Lisandro Martínez – a £56.7 million acquisition – alongside Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot.
That line‑up suffered a 2‑1 defeat at the hands of Brighton. Fast‑forward to the 2026 season and, in six of Michael Carrick’s 17 Premier League fixtures, he has again opted for the same four players, and the same could happen when United meet Hull City on Saturday. Although United have seen a great deal of turnover in the squad, those four names have persisted, even if they have not always formed a consistent unit.
In the four years since that opening day they have shared the pitch together just ten times, and roughly sixty percent of those appearances have come under Carrick’s stewardship. Various circumstances have prevented a regular partnership from developing.
Their first two outings as a unit ended in disappointment – a 4‑0 drubbing by Brentford being the most painful – and they did not line up together again until 30 October 2022, when United secured a 1‑0 victory over West Ham. During that period United also experimented with other defenders. Tyrell Malacia, who arrived in the summer of 2022, as well as the experienced Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelöf, were rotated in and out of the back line, often playing alongside some combination of Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot. Early in the 2022/23 season Maguire found himself on the bench on several occasions and even missed a month while nursing a hamstring problem.
Both Martínez and Dalot also suffered injuries that limited their involvement, although Dalot’s injury record has been relatively modest compared with his teammates. Martínez’s fortunes have been particularly uneven.
The Argentine spent the first half of the 2023/24 season sidelined with a foot injury, then suffered a catastrophic ACL rupture in February 2025. After nine months of rehabilitation he finally returned to action in November 2025.
Shaw’s situation has been similarly erratic; a cascade of niggling ailments meant he managed only 27 appearances across all competitions in the combined 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. The summer of 2024 saw the departure of Varane and Aaron Wan‑Bissaka, while United added three new centre‑backs – Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt – and later, in January 2025, two additional defensive prospects, Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu.
Despite the influx of fresh faces, the back four has continued to lack stability, a problem that was exacerbated 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 fourteen months, and during that period he never fielded the Martínez‑Maguire‑Shaw‑Dalot combination. A staunch advocate of a 3‑4‑3 system, Amorim often refused to revert to a back four even when results suffered.
It was not until December 2025 that he finally abandoned the three‑centre‑back shape, opting for a traditional back four against Newcastle and securing United’s first clean sheet since early October. Amorim’s departure came barely two weeks later, after he felt forced out of his tactical preferences. Carrick returned to the dugout and, in his first match back, reinstated Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot as the starting defence in a 2‑0 triumph over Manchester City. Carrick has since used that same quartet on five further occasions, achieving a record of five wins and one draw – no defeats – though the defensive solidity remains questionable.
The side kept only two clean sheets in those six games, and three of the victories were narrow 3‑2 results, highlighting lingering defensive frailties. Adding to the picture, de Ligt has been sidelined with a back injury since November 2025 and has not been available for selection, although he rejoined first‑team training this week.
United have not made any major defensive signings since Dorgu’s arrival eighteen months ago. Meanwhile, Malacia departed in the summer, and both Lindelöf and Jonny Evans left last year. If Carrick wishes to persist with his current defensive blueprint, he will likely need to consider further reinforcements.
Since Carrick’s arrival, United have largely defended deep, staying compact and protecting the area in front of their own goal. This approach underpinned several impressive victories.
However, pre‑season observations suggest a shift – or perhaps an evolution – toward a higher defensive line, coupled with a greater emphasis on pressing and counter‑pressing to win the ball back quickly after losing possession. The team was exposed in a pre‑season friendly against Amorim’s Milan side, where a high line allowed the opposition to score the fourth goal after a single pass over the defense. That match underscored a pressing need for a quality left‑back.
Shaw, now over 30, cannot be expected to shoulder the entire workload on a high‑line system, especially with the added fixture congestion that European competition brings. Supporters are eager to see Dorgu feature in that role, but thus far Carrick has primarily deployed him as a left winger. If Dorgu can adapt to a more defensive position, he could provide the squad with the depth required to rotate Shaw and maintain the intensity of United’s pressing game.
Age is another factor that cannot be ignored. Maguire and Shaw have both crossed the 30‑year mark, while Martínez and Dalot are 28 and 27 respectively – still within their prime years, but the question remains whether they can adjust to yet another tactical shift. The physical demands of a high defensive line, combined with the need for rapid recovery runs, may test the stamina of a back four that is already approaching the tail end of its peak. In summary, Manchester United have undergone considerable change over the past four years – new owners, new managers, a revolving door of transfers – yet the defensive core has remained eerily consistent.
The Martínez‑Maguire‑Shaw‑Dalot combination still offers a viable option for Carrick, but the sustainability of that arrangement is uncertain. With injuries, age, and tactical evolution all pressing on the back line, United will need to assess whether additional signings or a re‑imagined defensive structure are required to keep pace with the demands of modern Premier League football.