Michael Carrick’s arrival in January marked a turning point for Manchester United, as he guided the club from a modest seventh‑place finish to a respectable third‑place slot, securing a return to the Champions League after a period of absence. This rapid improvement raised expectations among fans and pundits alike, but the upcoming Manchester derby on Sunday – just three days after United’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Sabah – will serve as the first real gauge of how the side copes with a significantly busier calendar. The central question now is whether United possess the depth and quality required to handle the added fixtures, and whether the club’s ongoing rebuild has overlooked a critical component of a balanced squad. Last season, United’s schedule was unusually light.
With no European commitments and early exits from both the Carabao Cup (to Grimsby Town) and the FA Cup (to Brighton), the Red Devils featured in only 40 matches across all competitions. This figure was the joint‑fewest for any Premier League club and represented the lowest total number of games the club had played in a single season since the 1913/14 campaign.
The limited workload allowed Carrick to keep his core players fresh while many of the club’s rivals were forced to rotate their line‑ups to cope with a more congested timetable. In fact, between Carrick’s appointment and the end of the league season, only five other teams made fewer changes to their starting XI than United did.
Such a level of consistency is unlikely to be replicated this campaign. The Champions League tie against Sabah on Thursday kicks off a series of eight guaranteed European fixtures, meaning United could end up contesting as many as 67 matches in total when domestic cups and the Premier League are taken into account.
Carrick has spoken optimistically about the challenges of a tighter schedule, noting that while training sessions may be reduced as the season progresses, player involvement will inevitably increase. He also highlighted that the majority of his squad members are now accustomed to the rigours of European football, a stark contrast to the previous season when United were absent from continental competition. Nevertheless, the return to Europe remains a litmus test for the squad’s depth. The last time United juggled both domestic and European duties – the 2024/25 season – the club finished a disappointing 15th in the league, underscoring how demanding a dual‑front campaign can be.
To avoid a repeat of that scenario, United will need to demonstrate that they have the resources to rotate without sacrificing quality. Financially, United have been among the most active spenders in recent years. The club shelled out a modest £163 million on new arrivals during the summer transfer window, but the cumulative outlay since 2022 exceeds £1 billion, giving United the highest net spend of any Premier League side over that period – a staggering £769.5 million.
However, the composition of that spending raises eyebrows. This summer’s acquisitions were heavily weighted toward the midfield, with the signings of Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans forming the headline additions. By contrast, a year earlier the bulk of the investment was directed at the attacking line, bringing in players such as Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Defensive reinforcements have been comparatively scarce.
Only about 19 percent of the total £1 billion invested since 2022 has been allocated to defenders – the third‑lowest proportion among Premier League clubs over the same timeframe, trailing only Liverpool and Everton. This stands in stark contrast to the 42 percent of the budget devoted to forwards.
The imbalance has resulted in a squad that, while bolstered in certain areas, still lacks depth and quality in others. United’s attacking unit is rated as the third‑most valuable among the league’s traditional "big six," yet their midfielders and defenders rank at the bottom of the valuation tables. Even within the attack, uncertainties persist.
United boast a wealth of supporting forwards – Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo provide ample options – but they rely heavily on Benjamin Sesko as the sole out‑and‑out striker. Moreover, the team still lacks a genuine playmaking alternative to Bruno Fernandes, leaving a creative void that opponents can exploit. Despite the massive financial outlay, the squad’s turnover has been surprisingly low.
Astonishingly, the back four that featured in United’s 2‑2 draw with Everton – Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot – is identical to the lineup fielded in Erik ten Hag’s first match in May 2022. Marcus Rashford’s return to the left of Fernandes means that six starters have remained unchanged, painting a picture of a side that may be growing stale despite the club’s spending spree. United’s retention rate of 54.5 percent, measured from the opening game of the 2022/23 season to the latest fixture of the current campaign, is the highest in the league, with Arsenal trailing at 36.4 percent (having retained Gabriel, Ben White, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka). Continuity can be a virtue, but the context matters.
While Arsenal’s retained players have been instrumental in delivering a title‑winning season, many of United’s long‑standing starters are more closely associated with underperformance and inconsistency. This reality places Carrick in a difficult position as he prepares to navigate a schedule that is far more demanding than the one he oversaw last year.
The limited options, especially in defense, do not inspire confidence and add another layer of complexity to his managerial challenge. In summary, Manchester United’s ambitious £1 billion rebuild has produced noticeable improvements, yet the club’s strategic focus appears skewed.
The heavy investment in midfield and attack, coupled with a relative neglect of defensive reinforcements, has left the squad vulnerable to the rigours of a packed calendar that includes domestic league matches, cup competitions and a full slate of Champions League fixtures. As the season unfolds, Carrick will need to find ways to rotate his players effectively, maintain performance levels, and perhaps most importantly, address the defensive deficiencies that could undermine United’s aspirations for a successful campaign. The upcoming derby against Manchester City will provide an early indicator of whether the Red Devils can rise to the occasion or if the gaps in their rebuild will be exposed on the biggest stage.