Carrick's United close in on a statement signing

Michael Carrick does not go for grand statements in his media engagements, but he got his point across when he sat down with journalists in County Kildare, Ireland last Thursday. "We always want to improve," he said. "We need more; we keep looking for how we can do that, so that never stops. We've got to keep pushing."

Whether that was a message to the fans growing agitated at a pause on signings or the board weighing their next move, only Carrick knows. Either way, a week on and his words have been heeded. United are closing in on a signing that looks set to lift their summer business to a status of satisfaction.

Carlos Baleba offers United a different profile to Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos — a combination of energy, defensive grit, and ball-carrying that should suit Carrick's midfield well. United explored the terms of a transfer last summer but declined to bid when it became obvious Brighton & Hove Albion saw the fee as in excess of £100million ($136.3m). Baleba had a tough season after two excellent ones, with transfer interest and injuries both factors in that dip, but United kept tracking him, even at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he impressed for Cameroon.

The path to this point was far from linear. As recently as last weekend, United studied the conditions of signing Myles Lewis-Skelly, offered to the club by intermediaries. Lewis-Skelly, 19, barely started under Mikel Arteta last season — suggesting potential availability even though he was excellent in Arsenal's final two games of the Champions League. But in recent days it became clear he would not leave his boyhood club this summer, and so all attention at United became focused on Baleba. Talks with Brighton centred on a fee worth around £65m.

Mason Mount fitness fuels a midfield rethink

Mason Mount's fitness has also been a consideration. Mount starred in pre-season against Wrexham, Rosenborg and Atletico Madrid, prompting internal debate at United about the next position to target. Given his technical ability, Mount was seen as a player who could feature regularly in one of the deeper midfield roles, encouraging those at the club to consider left-back as the more urgent area to address while money is managed.

Luke Shaw was excellent in starting every Premier League game last term, but with more matches this season and Shaw now 31, signing a successor will need to happen at some point soon. Mount coming off after 19 minutes of the Paris Saint-Germain friendly on August 8 prompted another evaluation, however. Scans revealed a minor hamstring injury. That in itself would not be enough to refocus on midfield, but it was a reminder of the issues around Mount's availability since he joined from Chelsea in 2023 — despite his best efforts, he has only featured in 72 matches, with his longest streak being eight in a row last season.

United therefore looked at players who could operate in both midfield and left-back. Lewis-Skelly is a clear example, though he prefers midfield, while Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga was also mentioned. Baleba has not played at left-back for Brighton, but his left-footedness makes that a possibility at United should the need arise. He twice played at centre-back for Brighton. Still, the club are looking at specialist left-backs, albeit at a lower end of the market, meaning a proper approach for Newcastle's Lewis Hall has slowed down.

Sesko closing in on a return as Rashford locks in his number

United are also weighing up strikers if Joshua Zirkzee departs. At that end of the pitch, Benjamin Sesko is getting closer to a return to competitive matches. After sustaining a shin injury at the end of last season, he needed more time to recover, working nearly every day at Carrington during the summer to prepare. He stepped up his involvement during training this week and could be involved for the opener against Hull City. Sesko appears to have added muscle, though he is expected to trim down once the cardio of matches kicks in.

In the squad for Hull will be Marcus Rashford, who made his first United appearance in 20 months by coming off the bench to face Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, last Saturday. Rashford wore the No 9, a signifier of his regained status at the club. Sesko might have been viewed as the natural successor for that number, with Rasmus Hojlund's permanent move to Napoli confirmed — that was discussed, but the 23-year-old Slovenian preferred to keep his No 30, which he wore at RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg. People close to the situation say Rashford is certain to stay past deadline day.

Once Sesko returns, Carrick will have a deep selection in attack. Sesko (11), Bryan Mbeumo (11) and Matheus Cunha (10) all hit double digits for Premier League goals in their first campaign with United, without penalties — the first time that has happened at the club in five years, since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.

Defensive dilemmas and academy talent

Carrick has selection dilemmas in defence, too. Ayden Heaven had a very good pre-season, starting all six matches, the only player alongside that to do so, with 347 minutes — the highest of any defender. Luke Shaw played 346 minutes after coming off the bench against Leeds, while Harry Maguire hit 343 minutes after missing the game in Dublin entirely. Lisandro Martinez was involved in the World Cup final and is still working back to match sharpness, though Carrick preferred the Argentine in left centre-back at the end of last season.

That dynamic between the left-sided centre-backs will be one of the themes of the season, with Heaven, 19, acquitting himself well. He is working on his game with Jonny Evans — spending time with the former Premier League-winning centre-back before pre-season and doing one-to-one sessions alongside Leny Yoro, 20, who has also taken up the additional work. The young pair complement Martinez, 28, and Maguire, 33, while the long-awaited return of Matthijs de Ligt, 27, adds further competition after nearly nine months out with a back injury.

Several academy players got opportunities during United's pre-season too. Tyler Fletcher is pushing to be considered among that first-team group of midfielders; Tynan Thompson, after signing from Tottenham, played 45 minutes in Dublin; and 15-year-old JJ Gabriel travelled to five of six matches, earning eight minutes as a substitute against Atletico, replacing Mbeumo up top. Gabriel returned to under-21s action with a powerful strike into the top corner in a friendly against Sheffield Wednesday, though a bit more exposure might have been anticipated.

Carrick's immediate priority is the opening-day trip to Hull, a team that has never beaten United in 10 Premier League meetings — although Hull did win 2-1 in the last meeting East Yorkshire side, in the 2017 League Cup semi-final second leg. Carrick will hope that particular history is not repeated, and that he picks up where he left off in May — with the best form in the top flight.