According to The Telegraph, Manchester United attempted to sign Romain Ait-Nouri on loan on the final day of the transfer window, but Manchester City wanted to include a mandatory purchase clause. Additionally, Rashford's high wages significantly constrained Manchester United's transfer budget, preventing them from signing more players.

Reports suggest that this summer, Manchester United's main priority was restructuring their midfield. They brought in André Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Leny Yoro for a combined £155 million to complement Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, and Bruno Fernandes.

However, after the summer transfer window closed, one of the major concerns for Manchester United supporters is whether the club made a mistake by not accelerating another part of their defensive overhaul plan.

With Luke Shaw as the only established left-back under Carrick, Manchester United clearly took a risk by not signing a player to fill that position. Lewis Hall was Manchester United's top target, but the club decided against making a formal offer, and there were no plans to sign Lewis Skelly either.

On the final day of the transfer window, they were still searching for cheaper short-term solutions. Jorge Sáinz had a €16 million release clause at Real Valladolid, and Sergi Balde and others had been on the club's shortlist in recent weeks.

Additionally, on Tuesday afternoon, Manchester United inquired about the possibility of loaning Romain Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Days earlier, an agent had introduced the player to Manchester United, but Wolverhampton had told them that a loan would only be possible with a mandatory purchase clause, which Manchester United was not interested in.

However, the reality is that Manchester United is short of left-backs, and they will have to hope this doesn't cause problems. Luke Shaw, 31, surprisingly started all 38 Premier League matches for Manchester United last season.

This season, Manchester United has returned to the Champions League, but given that Luke Shaw has been plagued by injuries since joining Manchester United in 2014, expecting him to play twice every few days throughout the season is unrealistic.

This means Carrick will have to temporarily adjust the left-back position. Both Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have filled this position – the latter also regularly plays there for the Morocco national team – and Lisandro Martínez and even Leny Yoro can occasionally play there.

Additionally, Carrick could also consider moving Rasmus Højlund to the left-back position, but he prefers the Danish international to play higher up in a more attacking role. Diego León is not yet at first-team level.

Another young player, Harry Amass, has remained at the club despite interest from Burnley. He could provide some support to the team, though Manchester United is also open to loaning or selling him.

Would things be different if Manchester United had sold more players? Almost certainly. Everton made a last-minute attempt to loan Joshua Zirkzee, but due to lack of time to find a replacement and the desire to maintain attacking support, Manchester United chose to keep the Dutch striker.

The most significant factor preventing Manchester United from making more signings is Rashford's stay. His weekly wage of £325,000 also substantially limits Manchester United's financial flexibility, though Carrick believes Rashford could be a key asset for the team this season.

This season, most of Manchester United's defenders will be fighting for their futures. Luke Shaw's contract expires next summer, as do those of Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire, though the club has the option to extend both by another year.

Dalot and Mazraoui's contracts expire in 2028, with 12-month extension options, but Manchester United has long needed to strengthen at right-back. The club also needs young centre-backs Leny Yoro and Toby Collyer to break through this season.

Based on Manchester United's decisions regarding Maguire, Rashford, Martínez, and De Ligt, it would not be surprising if the club signs some centre-backs and wingers in next summer's transfer window.

With the significant transfer fees in this summer's transfer window, Manchester United is satisfied with the midfield signings they ultimately made, though the process of finally securing Santos, Tielemans, and Yoro was protracted, and this is not the squad they had envisioned in April or May.

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