Carrick's Transfer Gauntlet: United Eye PSG Star Mbaye
Manchester United are braced for a frantic finish to the transfer window, and Michael Carrick is not pretending otherwise.
With a Champions League return looming next season, the United boss has been blunt about what comes next: this squad is not finished.
“We want more, we need more”
Since the arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans a month ago, United’s rebuild has stalled in terms of headline signings. Karl Darlow has come in to add experience in goal, and several youngsters have been added to the ranks, but Carrick’s message cuts through any sense of complacency.
“We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that,” he said, underlining that the recruitment drive is still very much alive.
Carrick steered United to third place last season, a finish that restored some pride and secured a path back into Europe’s elite competition. He knows that achievement alone will not be enough to carry them through a campaign that will stretch his squad across multiple fronts.
“Money's money, I get that,” he admitted, acknowledging the financial realities around them. But the ambition remains unapologetically high.
“We feel like we have to be pushing for everything we're involved in, while being realistic of what the recent history's looked like over a period of time.
“For now, we've got to make the most of it, but we've got to push every boundary we can to be able to win again, basically. That's the challenge.”
That is the tone at Carrington: respect the journey back, but don’t settle.
Mbaye chase opens up
One of the names increasingly tied to that next step is Ibrahim Mbaye.
The 18-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger has drawn interest from several clubs, with United among those tracking his situation. At PSG, he is fighting for a place in a forward line already packed with talent, and his route to regular minutes is anything but straightforward.
United’s hopes of landing him have quietly improved. Liverpool, who are reshaping their attack after Mohamed Salah’s departure, had also been monitoring Mbaye while turning their attention to his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola.
Now, reports suggest Liverpool have stepped back from the Mbaye chase, baulking at a price tag of around £42.7m. For United, that removes a heavyweight rival from the table and nudges the door open a little wider.
The fee remains significant for a teenager still waiting to truly break through at senior level, but Carrick has already made it clear: if United are serious about competing “for everything”, they cannot shy away from bold calls in the market.
The clock is ticking on the window. Carrick has drawn the lines. United either back his push to “win again” with the depth he wants, or they head into a Champions League season knowing exactly where the gaps still lie.
