Man Utd's tricky start and six-year deadline-day transfer habit
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Michael Carrick rejected the "ridiculous" notion that Manchester United were given a kind opening, pointing to a trip to play-off winners Hull followed by an Old Trafford fixture against newly promoted Ipswich
- Manchester United completed the £35m signing of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa on 14 July, but Carrick said the club "are looking to strengthen the squad" with talks ongoing for Brighton's Carlos Baleba
- Manchester United have opened a Premier League season against two newly-promoted sides only twice before — in 2001-02 and 2008-09 — and failed to win both opening games on each occasion
- Jose Mourinho's 2017-18 side are the last United team to win their first two league fixtures, beating West Ham 4-0 and Swansea 4-0
- Manchester United have landed at least one senior signing on or near deadline day for six straight summers, including Antony (£81.3m, 1 Sept 2022), Manuel Ugarte (£50.8m), Senne Lammens, and Cristiano Ronaldo's 2021 return
- Carrick said he would "never say we can't" win the title despite 13 seasons without one, adding the extra fixtures this term make even a repeat of last season's third place "a massive improvement"
Why it matters: With the transfer window closing at 23:00 BST on 1 September, United fans are being told to expect late business as usual — a senior player has arrived on or near deadline day every summer since 2020. Carrick's insistence that he would "never say we can't" win the title sets a defiant tone heading into a fixture list that could deliver roughly 50% more games than last season's 40-match campaign, putting immediate pressure on early-season form.
Ask SkimNews
