Sports13 August, 20263 min read
Michael Carrick Rejects £100m Signing As Manchester United Push For More Transfers
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Carrick says United still needs more signings, targeting left-back and central midfielder. United has spent about £85m this window on Santos, Tielemans and Darlow.
Carrick rejects £100m
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick said the club will not make a £100m signing this summer due to their finances, while also insisting Marcus Rashford “is our player” despite the forward and the club preferring him to depart.
Carrick said “Money’s money. I get that,” and argued that “it’s still about football and that’s where the competition lies,” as United weighed how to compete after investing a total of £85m on Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in the current window.
The BBC said Carrick is “determined to keep pushing to improve his squad this summer,” noting United have spent £83m to sign Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, with Karl Darlow joining as back-up goalkeeper.
Carrick also pointed to the need for more work in areas including left-back and central midfield as United prepare for a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.
Sky Sports reported Carrick wants and needs more transfer business before the summer window closes on September 1, with United having signed Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow so far.
Rashford reintegration
Carrick said Rashford “is our player and has trained really well” as the 28-year-old rejoined United at their County Kildare training camp base on Sunday following a post-World Cup break. The Guardian reported Rashford has been on loan the past season and a half at Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively, due to a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s executive and the former United head coach Ruben Amorim, and said relations have eased with Rashford focused on working under Carrick. Sky Sports said Rashford could be set to make his first appearance for United since December 2024 this weekend in a friendly against Ruben Amorim's AC Milan side.
The Telegraph quoted Carrick saying “He’s a very good player, Marcus,” and described the manager’s view that “there are ups and downs” but that Rashford can offer “so much” as United aim to keep getting stronger. France 24 said Carrick urged United to push for more signings to boost their title bid while also calling Rashford “our player, and he’s a good player and he gives us something a little bit different in the group.”
Title push and deadlines
Carrick told reporters that United “want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that,” while stressing “For now, we’ve got to make the most of it, push everything in every boundary that we can to be able to win again.” The Independent said United remain the only Premier League ‘big six’ side never to have broken the £100 million threshold on a player, and it cited Carrick’s view that “Money’s money, I get that,” while insisting “it’s still about the football, and that’s where the competition lies.” France 24 said Carrick knows United need more quality and depth to challenge for a first English title since 2013 while also competing in the Champions League, and it noted United have never spent more than £89.5 million on a single player.
BBC coverage said Carrick was given opportunities to say Rashford will still be a United player when the transfer window closes on 1 September, but “didn’t take them,” and it added that Carrick kept repeating “He's our player.” Looking ahead, Sports Illustrated said United will face Leeds in Dublín this Wednesday and close their preparation ante the Milan on Saturday in Polonia, with the league debut on 22 August against Hull City.