Four Players Man Utd Could Sign After Michael Carrick’s Late Transfer Tease

Despite less than 48 hours of the summer transfer window remaining, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick admitted that he “wouldn’t shut down” one last piece of business.

“I think the situation that we’re in, I think the business that we’ve managed to do, I’m pleased with,” Carrick mused after United’s 5–2 victory over Ipswich Town on Sunday. The Red Devils have completely overhauled their midfield, splashing a combined $200 million on Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. However, there hasn’t been another cent spent on any other first-team players.

Against Ipswich, Carrick named the exact same defensive quartet which started United’s first home game of the 2022–23 season. Four years on, some evolution wouldn’t go amiss. There is a risk of United once again becoming dependent upon Bruno Fernandes going forward while one of the club’s two senior strikers is openly being shunted towards the exit door.

“We’re always open to it if there’s something else to be able to add,” Carrick added, “so I wouldn’t shut that down.” Here’s some options which United may be considering.

Alejandro Balde

The most pressing need for Manchester United is another fullback. When Luke Shaw was brought off after enduring a chastening 70 minutes chasing Ipswich’s Abdul Fatawu, Carrick had to turn to right back Noussair Mazraoui as his replacement. The only natural left back on United’s senior roster aside from Shaw is 19-year-old Harry Amass, who failed to even make the matchday squad this weekend.

Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde is the most heavily linked and inviting potential recruit for United this summer. Blisteringly quick and blessed with a tank that never empties, the Spanish gem is an ideal target, who already has experience of dovetailing with Marcus Rashford thanks to their shared season in Catalonia.

The issue here is financial. Even though Hansi Flick is perfectly comfortable parting ways with the 22-year-old, Barcelona’s hierarchy want a permanent sale, with a fee in the region of $47.4 million (£35 million). That is too rich for the liking of United, who are instead eyeing up a loan deal. It remains to be seen if Barcelona’s stance will soften, but Balde isn’t the only La Liga left back on the Red Devils’ radar.

Jorge Salinas

United have also been linked with a surprise move for Jorge Salinas this summer. The teenage academy graduate from newly promoted Racing Santander is scarcely a household name in his own home but has caught the eye of several scouts during the club’s rise up from Spain’s second tier.

Tall, sturdy and comfortable at center back, Salinas offers a different type of profile to Balde, who would be expected to hare up and down the flank. The potential to shift the balance of United’s hybrid system—perhaps the left back would tuck in while the likes of Diogo Dalot push forward down the right—could intrigue Carrick, who will want to be wary of becoming too predictable after taking much of the division by surprise last term.

Embarking upon only his first taste of top-flight soccer this season, Salinas would presumably be more open to a back-seat role than someone like three-time La Liga winner Balde. Yet, turning to a figure of such inexperience would also be a gamble.

Ian Maatsen

Almost 80% of the $487 million United have spent on new recruits over the past two years have all played their soccer in the Premier League. This safety net of “proven talent" could also inform their left back pursuit.

Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen has been the subject of an inquiry from United over the final few hours of the transfer window, Sky Sports News claim. The Netherlands international likely won’t be cheap and Villa may be wary of losing yet another player during a summer of mass exodus. However, the arrival of Matteo Ruggeri could bump Maatsen out of Unai Emery’s first XI, potentially tempting the defender into a change of scenery.

Maatsen is a rubbery sort of option for United, so slick in possession he has a history of playing in attacking midfield. Despite only being 24, the left-footer has ample experience of the Premier League and continental elite, featuring in a Europa League and Champions League final already.

Alexander Sorloth

Alexander Sørloth looking out. — Alexander Sørloth may be surplus to requirements in Spain. | IMAGO/Ricardo Larreina Amador

Should United force through an exit for Joshua Zirkzee, they could be inclined to secure a replacement. After all, Benjamin Šeško has already demonstrated an unreliable injury track record and Matheus Cunha is far more suited to a withdrawn role rather than the focal point through the middle. That, however, is where Alexander Sørloth thrives.

The burly Norway international has carved out a niche for himself as Atlético Madrid’s reluctant super sub. Since moving to the capital in 2024, Sørloth has rattled in 13 La Liga goals from the bench, a figure no other player in the division can top over the same period.

The former Crystal Palace forward’s only previous experience of the Premier League may be a concern for some—zero goals in 16 appearances before a bungled exit mid-season—but that was a different lifetime. Now a wily operator with a healthy Champions League goal return, Sørloth could be an inviting short-term gamble.

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