Manchester United registered their first Premier League win of the season in dominant fashion as Michael Carrick's side beat Ipswich Town 5-2. 

While the attacking fluidity, which has been a key aspect of Michael Carrick's time at the helm, was refreshing to see after the previous loss to Hull City, the club still needs to work on the ability to defend against crosses.

While on the field, the club has shown they can be fast and decisive; off the field, in recent days, United have been anything but. The transfer deadline is set to end today, and by all accounts it is unlikely the club will make any major moves.

However, if the club were to make transfers, it would hinge on being able to move on players such as Joshua Zirkzee or academy talents like Harry Amass. 

One thing Manchester United have shown is that they are not only methodical when making signings, but they also have very specific targets. Last summer, it was evident that the club wanted three attackers as well as a goalkeeper, and they succeeded as they brought in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, and Senne Lammens, who all became integral members of the side. 

This summer has been no different. The plan was very clear: to bring in three midfielders after losing Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte to injury. United have since brought in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Carlos Baleba to bolster the midfield. Tynan Thompson, an 18-year-old winger from Spurs, was also brought in, as well as Karl Darlow as a back-up goalkeeper.

While on that front the club has succeeded, the lack of depth in defence could seriously hinder United in the future, as it is the position where United has the most injury-prone players. 

Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, Gary Neville highlighted his concerns about the squad and whether it will be able to handle the Champions League.

He said (quotes via the Metro): "I do feel that when you go into the Champions League, and you’ve got an uncertain defence in the sense that a couple of them are injury-prone and they’re likely to get injured."

Specifically at left-back, despite playing every game last season, Luke Shaw does not have a proven track record of staying fit. With no out-and-out backup, the club risks moving players out of position or having Patrick Dorgu, who has never played there in the Premier League, fill in for Shaw. 

"For the top clubs that are playing in the Champions League, you’ve got to imagine what happens if Luke Shaw gets injured? That’s going to cause a real problem.

"What happens if Harry Maguire gets injured? You’ve got a real problem. So I always imagine: just take your two most dominant defenders out for two months simultaneously, which can happen, and you’re playing Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, you’re going to concede goals, and you’re going to lose football matches."

Right-back might be the only position in the defence that, as of now, is the most secure. Not only are there Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, but Leny Yoro has recently shown he can fill in there well. This becomes even more beneficial with these players being the most versatile. 

At left-back, the easiest player to move would be Mazraoui has shown he can be more effective on the left than Dalot, especially in the World Cup. In theory, Dorgu should be able to play there, but throughout his United career, Carrick has been unwilling, as of yet, to play him as an out-and-out left-back.

If Amass stays at the club, he could compete for the backup spot in the position.  Simon Stone revealed that when the club signed Baleba, because he is left-footed, Manchester United believed he could fill in at left-back. 

Centre-back is both complicated yet simple. Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have shown they cannot be reliably trusted to play every game, and even though Harry Maguire is a resilient player, he is prone to injury here and there. Naturally, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are the clear depth, but it does appear the club is one player short, as beyond that, one of the full-backs or Baleba may have to fill in.