Michael Carrick stated that Manchester United has secured value for money this summer despite rivals spending significantly more on midfield transfers. The club has acquired Andrey Santos for £50 million and Youri Tielemans for £35 million. They are also in pursuit of Brighton's Carlos Baleba, with an offer of £65 million reportedly made.
United faced competition for other targets, with Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes joining Manchester City and Tottenham for £116 million and £85 million, respectively. Newcastle United also benefited from substantial sales, receiving £167.5 million from Tottenham and Arsenal for Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
Carrick expressed satisfaction with the club's signings and their costs, noting the significant expenditures of other clubs. "There’s certainly players that have been more expensive, I think that’s pretty obvious," Carrick said ahead of the team's opening match against Hull City. "We’re delighted with the two that we’ve brought in, I think, and for the money of course. But actually, take that away, I’m delighted that we’ve got them."
He further elaborated on the value, stating, "Certainly for the value that we feel we’ve got, I think we’ve done very well with those two especially. Two fantastic players give us really good balance, a lot within the team, and offer us different things."
The club's midfield rebuild was a priority following the departure of Casemiro as a free agent and a serious knee ligament injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte at the World Cup, which is expected to sideline him for a significant portion of the season.
Regarding player movement, Carrick indicated that the club is also seeking a left-back to provide cover for Luke Shaw. He does not anticipate further departures before the transfer deadline, despite speculation linking Joshua Zirkzee with a return to Italy. "Not to me, no. I don’t know what’s going to come at us from elsewhere. We can control what we can control," Carrick responded when asked if any players had requested to leave. "I’m really happy with the squad we've got so far, and if not, we want to improve it."
Captain Bruno Fernandes, who has also been subject to transfer speculation, remains a key player in Carrick's plans. However, the manager acknowledged the need to manage the Portugal international's workload after a demanding season and World Cup participation. "He’s been a big part of the team and the club over recent times and had a huge impact, so he’ll continue to do that," Carrick said. "In terms of the games, hopefully he stays fit and he’s in good shape. He’s a big player for us, he’s obviously our captain, but there’s still elements where we need to look after him."
