According to The Telegraph, Manchester United attempted to sign Ait-Nouri on loan on deadline day, but Manchester City wanted to include a mandatory buy clause, and Rashford's high wages also significantly limited Manchester United's transfer budget, preventing them from recruiting additional players.

It is reported that this summer, Manchester United primarily focused on rebuilding the midfield, bringing in André Santos, Tielemans, and Baleba for a combined cost of £155 million, to complement Mainoo, Mount, and Bruno Fernandes.

However, following the close of the summer transfer window, one of the biggest questions troubling Manchester United fans is whether the club made an error by not accelerating the planned defensive overhaul.

With Luke Shaw as the only senior left-back under Carrick, Manchester United is clearly taking a risk by not signing a player for that position. Lewis Hall was Manchester United's primary target, but the club decided against making an official offer, nor did they plan to sign Lewis Skelly.

On deadline day, they were still seeking more affordable short-term solutions. Jorge Serrano has a €16 million release clause in his contract with Racing Santander, and Balde and others were on the recruitment shortlist in recent weeks.

Furthermore, on Tuesday afternoon, Manchester United also inquired with Manchester City about the possibility of loaning Ait-Nouri. Days earlier, an agent had recommended the player to Manchester United, but Manchester City informed them that a loan would only be possible if a mandatory buy clause was included, and Manchester United was not interested in a permanent signing.

But the reality is that Manchester United lacks depth at left-back, and they must hope this does not cause them problems. Luke Shaw, 31, surprisingly started all 38 league matches for Manchester United last season.

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

This means Carrick will need to temporarily adjust the left-back position. Dalot and Mazraoui have both played there – the latter frequently plays that position for the Moroccan national team – and Lisandro Martínez and even Baleba could occasionally cover.

Additionally, Carrick could also consider moving Døge back to left-back, but he would prefer the Danish international to play further forward in a more attacking role, and Diego León is not yet ready for the first team.

Another young player, Harry Amas, despite interest from Burnley, ultimately remained with the club and will provide some cover, though Manchester United is also willing to loan or sell him.

Would things have been different if Manchester United could have moved more players out? Almost certainly. Everton made a last-minute attempt to recruit Zirkzee on loan, but due to the lack of time to find a replacement and the desire to have a backup in attack, Manchester United chose to keep the Dutch striker.

The most significant factor in Manchester United's inability to do more recruiting has been keeping Rashford. His weekly wage of £325,000 has significantly constrained Manchester United's transfer budget, 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 Maguire, though the club has the option to extend both for an additional year.

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

Given Manchester United's decisions regarding Maguire, Rashford, Martínez, and De Ligt, it is not unreasonable to think the club could recruit multiple centre-backs and several full-backs on the transfer market next summer.

Given the absurdly high transfer fees during this summer's market, Manchester United is satisfied with the midfield signings they ultimately made, even if the final process of signing Santos, Tielemans, and Baleba was quite tortuous, and it was not the team they had anticipated in April or May.

Traduit par IA.

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