The 2025-26 season ended on a high. Third place in the Premier League, Champions League football secured, and a manager who had somehow turned the whole thing around in four months. The offseason that followed was about making that momentum permanent — in the dugout and in the squad. Carrick Gets the Job Done The biggest piece of business happened before the transfer window even opened. In the days leading up to the final game of the season, Manchester United handed Michael Carrick a two-year contract as permanent head coach. After what he delivered in the second half of 2025-26 — 12 wins, three draws and just two defeats, 39 points in 17 games, a third-place finish, and Champions League qualification — it would have been a strange decision to go any other way. Carrick now had his first full preseason as permanent boss. That mattered. He'd taken over in January with no time to implement ideas from the ground up. This summer was his chance to build properly. Out with the Old Twenty-four players left the club over the summer in one form or another, which sounds dramatic but tells the story of a squad that had accumulated years of deadwood. The most notable permanent departures: Rasmus Hojlund completed a move to Napoli for around £38m, ending a frustrating two-and-a-half year stint at Old Trafford that never quite delivered on the promise of his £72m price tag. Casemiro, who had been a useful squad presence under Carrick's initial run, left on a free transfer to Inter Miami after his contract expired. Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia also departed on free transfers when their deals ran out, bringing an end to two underwhelming spells in red. Several younger players were moved on permanently as well, with Toby Collyer joining West Brom and goalkeeper Radek Vitek moving to Middlesbrough for around £7m. A wave of academy players went out on loan to get regular minutes — Andre Onana headed back to Trabzonspor for another season, Altay Bayindir joined Celta Vigo on loan in La Liga, and several academy prospects found themselves at League One and Championship clubs. The Midfield Rebuild The theme of United's summer business was clear: fix the midfield. Casemiro's departure left a significant hole, and the club went after it aggressively. The first signing was Andrey Santos from Chelsea for around £50m. The Brazilian international was the direct replacement for Casemiro — a defensive-minded midfielder with better legs and a higher ceiling. He was followed by Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m after the Belgian captain had an excellent FIFA World Cup. He brings experience, quality in tight spaces, and the kind of consistent Premier League performance United's midfield has been missing for years. The headline arrival came late in the window. Carlos Baleba from Brighton joined for around £65-70m, completing a three-man midfield overhaul in one summer. Baleba is athletic, aggressive, and only 22 years old — exactly the profile Carrick was after. United had reportedly wanted him the previous summer as well, so getting him this time felt like unfinished business. On top of those three, veteran goalkeeper Karl Darlow joined on a free from Leeds as backup behind Senne Lammens, and 18-year-old winger Tynan Thompson arrived from Tottenham for around £4m as a development signing with an eye on the future. Preseason United's preseason tour took Carrick's squad across Europe. It started with a 1-0 loss to Wrexham in Helsinki in July — the new signings were still settling in and it showed. A 5-0 hammering of Rosenborg in Trondheim quickly put that to bed, and the tour continued with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm. Draws against PSG and Leeds United in Dublin followed, before a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan in the final preseason match — a result made slightly more notable by the fact that Milan are now managed by Ruben Amorim. Whatever anyone might have thought about the result, it was only a friendly. The vibe throughout preseason was noticeably different from the year before. Players looked engaged, the system was taking shape, and there was none of the tension that had surrounded the club for most of 2025-26. Looking Ahead Manchester United head into the 2026-27 season back in the Champions League for the first time since 2023-24, with a permanent manager, three new midfielders, and a core that spent the second half of last season rediscovering what it looks like when things click at Old Trafford. The front three of Mbeumo, Sesko, and Cunha stays intact. Bruno Fernandes remains the captain and heartbeat of the team coming off his record-breaking assist season. The squad is leaner, younger in midfield, and more coherent than it's been in years. Whether Carrick can sustain it over a full season — including the added demands of Champions League football — is the real question. But for the first time in a while, Manchester United fans have genuine reason to believe the answer might be yes.