In the match of the 2nd round of the Premier League, when Man United reversed the score to beat Ipswich 5-2, all eyes were on Bruno Fernandes' hat-trick. The opening match of the season at Old Trafford went smoothly for the "Red Devils" in terms of results, but in reality on the field there were still many worries, especially the left-back position.
Throughout the 2026 summer transfer window, Man United maintained parallel goals in midfield and left-back. However, the situation of putting too many resources into midfield has led to imbalance in transfers. The team welcomed 3 new midfielders but did not have time to prepare to complete a left-back deal. Names like Lewis Hall, Ian Maatsen, Alejandro Balde or Ryan Ait-Nouri have not arrived at Old Trafford.
Luke Shaw after 12 years has had his first season playing 38 full matches in the Premier League for Man United. Looking broadly, after 12 years, "The Red Devils" still only have the English defender who is qualified enough to start in this position. That is a sign of stagnation in personnel changes. When there are no new players, Michael Carrick is forced to have a plan to patch this hole.
Noussair Mazraoui
The Moroccan international is the first name targeted for this position. In the pre-season period, Carrick used Leny Yoro on the right wing, so when needed, the French star will rotate with Diogo Dalot.
In the national team, Mazraoui played most of the matches on the left wing because he could not compete for a position on the right wing with Achraf Hakimi. At the recent 2026 World Cup, he also had a good performance with this unfavorable position.
The 28-year-old star has made 9 appearances for Man United on the left wing, and has also played as a center-back, right-back and even attacking midfielder (a rather unfamiliar position), showing versatility enough to adapt to new requirements.
Diogo Dalot
After a difficult start last season, Dalot played well at the end in the right-back role. The Portuguese star also showed better ability in the times he was asked to push high to play as a left winger.
In 8 years playing for Man United, Dalot has played in the left-back position many times and shown good adaptability. He has made 34 appearances for the "Red Devils" in this off-side position. Not only that, when Ruben Amorim coached Man United, Dalot had 28 left-wing-back games. When necessary, Carrick can use Dalot and does not need to worry too much about adapting.
However, both Dalot and Mazraoui are right-footed, so high-speed attacks on this wing if they play instead of Shaw will not be frequent.
Carlos Baleba
The newcomer from Brighton is often associated with the rotation position with Luke Shaw because he has experience playing in the Premier League, is defensively oriented, has good speed and is left-footed. However, in reality, the Cameroonian star has never been used in this position. At Amex Stadium, Baleba once played as a center-back but not as a left-back.
With the addition of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, along with Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes, Man United's midfield will be very crowded if all are ready to play. Many players have been trained to play in new positions and are successful and Baleba may be one of them.
Harry Amass
At the end of the recent transfer window, Burnley once offered to buy Amass outright, but Man United refused the price of £3.5 million. The "Red Devils" putting the 19-year-old defender on the transfer table shows that his importance is very low. Therefore, it is unlikely that Amass will be trusted.
In recent times, he has played for Man United U21 team in Premier League 2 and regularly started. Perhaps Amass will only appear in lower-level playgrounds such as the FA Cup or League Cup if Carrick really wants to put all his energy into the Premier League and Champions League.
