Manchester United are prepared to go head-to-head with Premier League top clubs following their activities at the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils’ net spend across the transfer window finished at £118m, as they focused on strengthening their midfield. Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Carlos Baleba from Brighton.
Goalkeeper Karl Darlow also joined the club on a free transfer from Leeds.
However, despite failing to add a new player to their defensive setup, Carrick is confident in the strength of his squad for the remainder of the season.
United players walks into the pitch before their Premier League 2026/27 match against Ipswich Town at Old Trafford. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
“I think we’ve brought some really good players into the football club, and improved the squad in different ways, individually but collectively,” Carrick said during a charity golf day for his foundation.
“I think we’ve grown. You go into the window and when you come out of it, you want to be stronger than you were at the start. I’m convinced we are that.
“That’s the world we live in. Teams at certain points are going to spend a lot of money. Sometimes it’s going to be more than what we spend, sometimes maybe not. We’ve got to make the most of what we can and understand where we’re at. I think we’re a very good team, we want to keep getting better.”
United started their Premier League campaign with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Hull City but bounced back with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town in their first home game of the campaign.
The former Red Devils midfielder was keen to point out the courage of his squad for bouncing back from such a disappointment, saying it gives him plenty of encouragement moving forward.
Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring against Ipswich Town. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“Since I came back really and we got the group together, we’ve lost a couple of games, we’ve had some setbacks, but the way the boys have dealt with it gives us a lot of courage moving forward,” Carrick said.
“At some point you’re going to have things that go against you. Whether that’s a game or a moment in games, and I’ve talked about it this week. I think the response that we showed and the confidence the boys had, that’s when you find out quite a bit about what you are as a group.
“I thought we did a lot of good things in the first half. We had a few minutes when it didn’t go well for us, we took that into the second half and played some really good football.
“A lot of people talk about the goals and the results in the end, but I think the mentality is what pleased us the most. It gives us a lot of encouragement moving forward.”
