Manchester United will begin the 2026/27 campaign with a strong attacking line and something that Michael Carrick will find extremely valuable across the season.
Manchester United begin the new 2026/27 Premier League campaign this weekend against newly promoted Hull City.
The Reds will be hoping to build on last season where they finished third in the division and returned to the Champions League.
Michael Carrick impressed in his interim role and was rewarded with the permanent head coach position on an initial two-year contract.
The midfield has been a focus this summer, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos signed, while a deal for Carlos Baleba is also closing in.
Last summer, it was the attack which United strengthened through the additions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. All three players had successful debut campaigns at Old Trafford.
However, even last season there appeared to be something missing in the attack at United which Carrick now has ahead of the new campaign.
United finally have depth in attack
The Premier League is more competitive than ever in 2026, and you don't often see teams blow others away easily. Games are usually decided in the closing stages, and you need effective players to come off the bench and make an impact.
While United have had some top attackers in recent years, their bench has not always offered solutions when games are getting stretched and spaces appear on the break.
The last player who United had to take advantage of such situations was Alejandro Garnacho during his breakthrough season under Erik ten Hag in 2022/23.
The Argentine would come off the bench and his relentless running caused problems for tired defences when the game was more open than in the opening 60 minutes.
But Garnacho soon became a regular starter, and United lost that option from the bench, and there haven't really been many impact players like that since then.
United have a versatile forward line
Heading into the 2026/27 campaign, United have plenty of attackers in their ranks. Marcus Rashford, Cunha and Patrick Dorgu are the options from the left. Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee are the central strikers while Amad and Bryan Mbeumo operate from the left.
Most of those players can play across the frontline too - Mbeumo will likely play through the middle often for United.
Carrick saw the benefits of having top level offensive threats from the bench at the back-end of last season as Sesko scored multiple important goals after coming on late in games.
Now, there will be several options to choose from when matches hit 60 minutes. Rashford provides a threat from the left while there is also the prospect of Shea Lacey providing that youthful impact that Garnacho did in 2022.
Lacey, 19, is a different player to the Argentine but has a similar level of confidence on the ball. He is being tipped for a breakthrough campaign and could be one to make an impact late in games.
United still have some issues throughout the squad and while the attacking line could be stronger, the depth will prove valuable to Carrick across the season.
