Michael Carrick’s first summer signing has arrived at Carrington, preparing to integrate into the squad as United bolsters its midfield ahead of a pivotal Champions League return.
After a month of heavy transfer news, Manchester United players who were not involved at the World Cup have begun to return for pre-season training ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Michael Carrick's side will be returning to the Champions League for the first time since the 2023/24 season and will therefore need his players to fight and be firing, to avoid the injury crises that blighted the club from 2023 to 2025.
The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens and Noussair Mazaroui, among others, will be given well-deserved breaks and will report to training at a later date.
The club will be playing their first pre-season game on the 18th of July against Wrexham in Finland.
Santos to join training on Monday
Andrey Santos will become the first official signing for United this summer, with confirmation from the club expected in the coming days. The deal will be worth a reported £48 million with £2 million in add-ons as the midfielder swaps Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford.
Despite not being officially announced as of yet, it has been revealed when he will be at training.
According to Djmaameel, the Brazilian was at Carrington today (Saturday) but did not participate in training. He is expected to take part in training with the squad on Monday.
With this information, it could be a hint that the announcement could come tomorrow.
Karl Darlow will be the next player that could look to be announced soon.
A busy week could be coming
The signing of Santos and the pending signing of Darlow do tick off the need for one of the three midfielders and a back-up goalkeeper.
However, with a week to go until the club flies out on their pre-season tour, they will be hoping they can bring in one more midfielder, if possible, to ease the current burden they have.
Giving players, especially midfielders who are the vital cog in any football system, the time they need to learn Carrick's system is crucial if Manchester United want to compete next season.
It's unlikely that the club would bring in a huge marquee signing, like a Casemiro replacement through the door, but a move for one of Manu Koné or Joao Gomes could be possible.
