After bringing Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Old Trafford in 2019, Manchester United publicly claimed they had assessed 804 right-backs before choosing the Crystal Palace defender. The statement seemed excessive at the time and appeared intended to reassure supporters and reporters that the club’s recruitment team had carried out extensive scouting and analysis.
United are now searching for a left-back capable of competing with Luke Shaw, but with fewer than two weeks remaining in the summer transfer window, convincing alternatives appear to be in short supply.
Much like their pursuit of Wan-Bissaka seven years earlier, United’s analysts identified a highly rated English full-back from a mid-table Premier League side. Lewis Hall meets many of their requirements, but his cost remains a major obstacle. Newcastle are understandably demanding a substantial fee for the 21-year-old after already parting with Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães. United do not want to overpay, leaving discussions at an impasse as Newcastle reportedly value Hall at around £70m.
Even so, United clearly require another option at left-back, initially to support Shaw and potentially to replace him in the future. The 31-year-old featured in every Premier League match last season and delivered consistent performances, but his injury record makes a repeat unlikely. United will also face a much busier schedule than the 40 matches they played last term, their lowest total since 1914-15.
Their return to the Champions League means United are expected to play more than 50 fixtures. With Casemiro having departed and Manuel Ugarte ruled out for the remainder of 2026 by a knee ligament injury, the club appear close to completing their midfield rebuild through a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. In attack, Marcus Rashford has returned from loan spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona and could add speed and flexibility if he remains at the club.
Left-back therefore remains the most obvious weakness, particularly after Shaw struggled during Saturday’s 4-2 pre-season loss to Ruben Amorim’s Milan. Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas and Club Brugge’s Joaquin Seys have both been mentioned as possible targets, but their limited experience suggests neither is ready to replace Shaw immediately. Michael Carrick considers Patrick Dorgu better suited to a wide attacking role, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are not natural solutions on the left of the defence. Academy player Harry Amass is also expected to leave either permanently or on loan.
United should be satisfied with their midfield recruitment if they complete the Baleba transfer. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have performed well in pre-season after the club decided against pursuing Elliot Anderson, who joined Manchester City for £116m, as well as Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, who moved to Tottenham for a combined £185m. Another midfielder was always necessary to ease the workload on Santos, Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo throughout a demanding campaign.
“Our recruitment has been very positive,” Carrick said last week, before reports of a possible Baleba move emerged. “We’re pleased with what we have achieved, but we still want and need additional quality. We are constantly exploring ways to strengthen the team, and that process never ends.
“As we move forward, improving the squad must remain a priority. There is no question about that.”
If Carrick wants one more major arrival, however, United must decide whether they can justify leaving such an obvious gap in the squad. They will also need to determine whether another good-value opportunity, similar to the deals for Santos and Tielemans, exists. The club hope a suitable left-back becomes available unexpectedly, just as their three midfield signings did.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has developed a reputation for strict cost control since purchasing a minority shareholding that gave him authority over football operations. His attempts to reduce spending at Old Trafford have attracted criticism, particularly following staff redundancies and unusual reports about the cost-cutting measures introduced by him and Ineos.
Nevertheless, United invested more than £200m in a new forward line last summer, signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, all of whom made strong impressions in their first seasons. The club also uncovered a promising goalkeeper in Senne Lammens from Belgium’s top division. That investment eventually produced results: after Amorim was dismissed, Carrick led the team to a third-place finish.
Many observers feel that ending the spending now would leave a talented young manager without enough support. Carrick won 12 of his first 17 matches in charge before receiving the position permanently, and the general view is that he has earned the opportunity to manage United across an entire season.
Completing the Baleba transfer would represent meaningful progress, but the Old Trafford leadership may make an expensive recruitment error if it fails to add another left-back.
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