Carrick confident Manchester United can challenge despite lower transfer spending

Michael Carrick says Manchester United can compete with the Premier League’s leading clubs this season despite spending less than several of their main rivals in the transfer market.

Manchester United added three midfielders during the summer window at a combined cost of about £150m. Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham spent more on transfer fees, but Carrick believes his side can match the traditional “big six” on the pitch.

“I definitely feel we’re capable of competing,” Carrick said in comments highlighted by ESPN before Manchester United’s game against Everton on Sunday.

The manager said United’s challenge was to build the right balance within the squad and make the most of the players available to him.

“I think the challenge is just getting the right dynamics, getting the right balance, putting the right group together and getting the best out of the best players in the group to enhance the rest of the team,” he said.

Carrick acknowledged that financial strength can have an impact, but argued that spending alone does not determine a team’s success.

“I understand that the amount of money, ultimately, can be important. But it doesn’t always have to be the answer, although it can be,” he added.

The former Manchester United midfielder said he was “largely happy” with the squad after the transfer window closed on Tuesday.

He said the club had made the most of the resources available to sign Andre Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, while stressing that winning matches depends on more than the cost of assembling a squad.

“Money is one thing, what you do with it is another thing, and how you maximise it is another thing,” Carrick said.

“It’s about what happens on the pitch ultimately, and we continue to give what we can, do our best, you know, and keep trying to win.”

Manchester United spent most of their 2025 transfer budget on three forwards. Their midfield was restructured this summer, while speculation has suggested that strengthening the defence could be the club’s priority in 2027.

Carrick declined to reveal specific plans for future transfer windows, but said the club had a “clear idea” of how it wanted the squad to develop.

“I think there’s a process of evolution, trying to improve things all the time, along with how the season goes, the level of performance, injuries, who is performing well and what the future looks like,” he said.

“There are obviously a lot of things that go into that, and we’re trying to improve step by step.”

Carrick said United would assess their needs as the campaign progressed, while maintaining a longer-term vision for the team.

“We’ll see how the season goes and what we need to develop, but clearly we have a clear idea of what we want to look like after this summer, and then a little bit further down the line in the longer term,” he said.