Manchester United have spent £219.7 million on eight defenders since the summer of 2022 — and yet, as Michael Carrick prepares for his first full season in charge, the back four he is likely to field against Hull City on the opening weekend of 2026/27 is the exact same one that lined up four years ago.
Lisandro Martínez, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot started Ten Hag's first Premier League game on 7 August 2022, a 2-1 defeat to Brighton. Fast forward to today, and the quartet remains United's most reliable defensive combination. Carrick used them together six times in the second half of last season, and the results were impressive — five wins and a draw, with the Red Devils unbeaten in every game that combination started.
That said, the numbers tell a more complicated story. Despite being at the club together for four years, the four have only ever played alongside each other 10 times in total. Injuries have been the primary culprit. Martínez ruptured his ACL in February 2025 and missed nine months. Shaw has been plagued by a string of muscular problems, managing just 27 appearances across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons combined. Matthijs de Ligt, who was supposed to provide competition and cover, has not played since November 2025 due to a back issue, though he returned to first-team training this week.
The concern heading into the new campaign is depth. Tyrell Malacia left the club this summer, Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans departed the year before, and there have been no fresh defensive signings since Patrick Dorgu arrived in January 2025. Dorgu has predominantly been used as a left winger by Carrick rather than his natural left-back role, leaving Shaw without genuine backup. With European football back on the agenda and both Maguire and Shaw now in their 30s, Carrick will need to find answers in the transfer market — and fast. The window closes on September 1.
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