Manchester United manager Michael Carrick insists the Old Trafford club have secured value for money in an inflated transfer market despite rival Premier League teams spending significantly higher sums on midfield reinforcements this summer.
United have completed the signings of Andrey Santos for £50 million and Youri Tielemans for £35m, while continuing their pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba with a £65m offer aimed at finalizing a complete overhaul of their central midfield.
The combined £85m outlay for Santos and Tielemans comes after United were priced out of moves for Elliot Anderson, who moved to Manchester City for £116m, and Mateus Fernandes, who completed an £85m transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Newcastle United accumulated £167.5m from selling Sandro Tonali to Spurs and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal.
Despite concerns that United have been gazumped by their domestic rivals in the window, Carrick expressed complete satisfaction with the recruitment business completed so far ahead of Saturday's Premier League opening fixture away to newly-promoted Hull City.
"There’s certainly players that have been more expensive, I think that’s pretty obvious," Carrick said. "We’re delighted with the two that we’ve brought in, I think, and for the money of course. But actually, take that away, I’m delighted that we’ve got them."
"Certainly for the value that we feel we’ve got, I think we’ve done very well with those two especially," Carrick added. "Two fantastic players give us really good balance, a lot within the team, and offer us different things."
Midfield overhaul at Old Trafford
Addressing the central midfield position was established as United's top priority in the transfer window following the departure of veteran Brazilian midfielder Casemiro as a free agent. The need was further heightened after Uruguayan international Manuel Ugarte suffered a severe knee ligament injury during the World Cup, which is anticipated to sideline him for the majority of the upcoming campaign.
As United maintain talks with Brighton to secure the signature of Baleba, Carrick emphasized the necessity of squad evolution at Old Trafford.
"I think players have always come and gone through history here, and you’ve got to evolve," Carrick said. "You’ve got to find ways of moving forward and ways of winning, essentially."
"I know we’ve got a good midfield. We’ve brought in some really top players and really good characters, which is important," Carrick continued. "We’re trying to improve the squad all the time. As it stands now, we’ve got some very good, top midfielders to choose from. So I think we’ve improved that."
"You need a solid foundation through the middle of the team. I think if you look at all the great teams over the years, the spine is really strong. We’re conscious of that, and I think we’ve got a good spine of the team right now."
Transfer deadline plans and squad depth
Beyond their central midfield pursuits, United remain active in the transfer market for a left-back to provide depth alongside England defender Luke Shaw. Carrick also clarified that he does not anticipate further departures from Old Trafford before the transfer deadline closes, despite persistent reports linking Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee with a move back to Serie A in Italy.
When asked whether any current squad members had requested to leave the club, Carrick confirmed that no player had expressed a desire to depart.
"Not to me, no," Carrick said. "I don’t know what’s going to come at us from elsewhere. We can control what we can control. I’m really happy with the squad we've got so far, and if not, we want to improve it."
Managing Bruno Fernandes after World Cup
Carrick also addressed ongoing speculation surrounding the future of club captain Bruno Fernandes. The manager reiterated that the Portugal international playmaker remains an integral component of his plans, though United will manage his workload carefully following an extended season culminating in World Cup duty.
"I’ve said quite a lot about Bruno," Carrick said. "He’s been a big part of the team and the club over recent times and had a huge impact, so he’ll continue to do that."
"In terms of the games, hopefully he stays fit and he’s in good shape. He’s a big player for us, he’s obviously our captain, but there’s still elements where we need to look after him."
