Manchester United made central midfield a top priority in the summer transfer window, spending more than £150m on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, with a further move for Brighton's Carlos Baleba reportedly costing up to £70m. The rebuild follows Casemiro's departure on a free transfer and long-term injury absentee Manuel Ugarte, leaving Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount as United's only senior central midfielders heading into the window. Manager Michael Carrick now faces a selection puzzle over how to balance the new arrivals with academy graduate Mainoo, whose impressive display in a 5-2 win over Ipswich reignited debate about his role in the side.

Santos, 22, joined from Chelsea for £48m and has looked comfortable screening the back four alongside Mount in pre-season, while Belgium's Youri Tielemans, 29, arrived from Aston Villa for £35m and has been building understanding with captain Bruno Fernandes. United missed out on other midfield targets, including Elliott Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, before moving for Santos and Tielemans. With Champions League football returning, United face a congested run of five games in 16 days before the first international break, meaning Carrick will need to rotate his revamped midfield regularly, while former goalkeeper Ben Foster has argued Mainoo would benefit from a loan spell rather than an immediate starting role.