Tynan Thompson deal from Tottenham for £8m could pave way for Man Utd’s biggest transfers

THE ONLY Manchester United starters against Wrexham yet to play a full international were Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Jack Fletcher. Heaven and Fletcher are both 19 and Yoro turned 20 last November. United’s line-up would have been more senior had Benjamin Sesko and Matthijs de Ligt not been injured. United still had a senior line-up in Helsinki despite the World Cup Credit: Manchester United via Getty Imag Santos started in Helsinki Credit: Getty United have improved their squad, if not their starting team, with their three incomings. Karl Darlow is a better back-up goalie than Altay Bayindir, while Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans can be assured of ample playing time but neither are a nailed-on starter when Saturday or Sunday comes. Investing £85m on two midfielders rather than on one who suffered successive relegations was prudent. A game-changing midfielder has eluded United so far this summer, though, and they require an imposing partner for Kobbie Mainoo. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Santos and Tielemans will not suffice. They provide a good blend of youth and experience and both are preferable to the underwhelming Ederson who United prioritised before last season had even ended. The concept of a ‘best XI’ is borderline obsolete these days. All three of Arsenal’s major summer signings – Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze – were on the bench for the Champions League final.Yet Michael Carrick earned a two-year contract as United head coach through little or no changes to his starting XI on a weekly basis. Carrick named an unchanged team four times. The most changes he made to a side before United qualified for the Champions League were the four in the defeat to Leeds United, United’s worst performance under Carrick. The five alterations at Sunderland in May resulted in the only time Carrick’s United fired blanks. Tellingly, the misfiring Joshua Zirkzee replaced Benjamin Sesko. That afternoon remains Zirkzee’s only start this calendar year. Carrick had some joy with Bryan Mbeumo at centre forward as he scored five times there, despite also enduring a three-month goal drought. Zirkzee could linger at United as Sesko is not match-fit. He could miss a chunk of pre-season with the shin injury that caused him to miss United’s final three fixtures last term. Most read in Sport But Zirkzee is merely a body. Mbeumo, Cunha, Amad and Bruno Fernandes are more appealing options as false nines than the Dutchman. United last week denied that they had informally approached Danny Welbeck about a possible return. A wily and wiry back-up striker is needed to support Sesko and settling for Zirkzee would not be progressive. A left winger has arrived, although the 18-year-old Tynan Thompson is not expected to be promoted to the first team straight away. United did promise Thompson that he would be integrated into the senior squad and suddenly he is their only specialist option there. Marcus Rashford remains a United player for now but there is doubt he will pull on the red shirt again. The next three weeks, essentially Rashford’s post-World Cup holiday, are particularly crucial as they are the last that Rashford remains away from United. Ruben Amorim is long gone and Carrick spent nearly six years as Rashford’s teammate, coach and caretaker manager. Carrick is so unconfrontational his only red card was for accidentally kicking the ball away against AC Milan. But the head coach no longer dictates recruitment at United. Accommodating their highest earner who last played for the club in December 2024 and has publicly stressed his wish to leave permanently is not an outcome United can countenance. Rashford should not be a hard sell. He is available for less than £30m, started at the World Cup, won the league with Barcelona last season and spent nearly nine years as a regular at United. Rashford started against France on Saturday Credit: Getty Rashford and Tielemans were teammates at Villa Credit: Getty Options are limited, though. Turkey or Saudi Arabia do not appeal as Rashford wants to safeguard his England place and only a handful of clubs could afford his salary. Aston Villa, flush with nearly £150m from Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, but squeezed by Uefa’s financial fair play rules and profitability and sustainability, could do worse than to re-sign Rashford. This time permanently. Well-placed sources said United would “pause” after the flurry of incomings last week as sales have to be addressed. If United sell Rashford for around £25m, £325,000 will be cleared off the weekly wage bill to go with the £38m for Rasmus Hojlund and the £12m sell-on fee banked from Mason Greenwood’s transfer to Fenerbahce. Alejandro Garnacho could bring in more income if or when he is sold by Chelsea. That gives United plenty of headroom to bring in a headline midfielder and a worthy second striker without straying close to the extreme fees that Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have paid. United have shown they are prepared to deviate from their strategy with the 29-year-old Tielemans, older than their preferred targets. Raising the age of a signing pales in comparison to raising the price and United rightly scoffed at the £85m valuation of Mateus Fernandes. They need to lay down a marker, though. Cunha and Mbeumo were prised from selling clubs but there was firm competition for both. United paid sensible but striking fees of £62.5m and £65m rising to £71m for Premier League pedigree. Newcastle were interested in Sesko and had the Champions League to offer. As long as Sesko remains unavailable, United look blunt at the tip of the arrow. And Zirkzee is an international. Comment now