Manchester United 2025/26 Season Review: A Return to Form
The books are closed on Manchester United’s 2025/26 season, and for once in recent years the final page doesn’t feel like an autopsy. Third place, Champions League football back at Old Trafford, and Michael Carrick upgraded from caretaker to permanent manager. It was not a title charge, but it was a season that made sense again.
This was a campaign defined by redemption arcs, breakout turns and one truly elite individual season from the captain. The ratings tell the story.
Goalkeepers
Senne Lammens – 9
Nobody expected Senne Lammens to redefine United’s season. He did. Thrown in with little fanfare, he settled like a veteran and quickly looked like one of the best keepers in the league. Commanding in the box, calm with the ball, decisive when it mattered. This was an outstanding debut year, and the frightening part for the rest of the division is that he should only improve.
Altay Bayindir – 3.5
The contrast could not be sharper. Altay Bayindir’s early-season form dragged United out of any serious title conversation before it had really started. Costly errors, points spilled, belief dented. By the time Lammens took over, Bayindir’s future felt all but written. It would be a surprise if he is still at the club next season.
Full-backs and Wing-backs
Luke Shaw – 7.5
Fit. Consistent. Influential. This was as close as Luke Shaw has come to his peak year in a United shirt. He stayed healthy, gave Carrick reliable balance down the left and capped it with a goal against Nottingham Forest. The question now is whether this is the start of a late-career surge or a lone high point.
Diogo Dalot – 7.5
Diogo Dalot looked reborn. Back in a natural full-back role under Carrick, he flourished from January onwards. His name went from rotation option to inked-on starter. Aggressive in his pressing, sharp in his delivery, he became one of the quiet pillars of United’s resurgence.
Patrick Dorgu – 6.5
Patrick Dorgu’s season never quite got going. Injury cut through his momentum, yet the brief spell from late December to late January showed why United moved for him. Dynamic, front-foot, and brave on the ball. If his body cooperates, left-back minutes should be there for him next year.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
If Dalot rose, Noussair Mazraoui drifted. After a brilliant debut campaign, he never came close to those standards this time. The energy and incision that once made him a key outlet faded, and his place in the squad now looks under serious threat. A summer sale cannot be dismissed.
Tyrell Malacia – 2
Tyrell Malacia barely featured, and when he did, it hurt. Two substitute appearances, including a torrid time against Newcastle, and a lowlight moment when he was spun by William Osula. With his free transfer exit already confirmed, this was a whimper of a farewell.
Centre-backs
Leny Yoro – 6.5
Leny Yoro’s year was a tug-of-war between promise and inconsistency. The talent is obvious: pace, composure, reading of the game. But he never nailed down a starting spot. More minutes should come next season, yet a loan move has to be on the table if United want him to grow without the glare.
Harry Maguire – 7.5
Harry Maguire’s story at United keeps adding chapters nobody expected. Written off more than once, he fought his way back to a new contract and a regular starting role under Carrick. Strong in both boxes, vocal at the back, he earned his manager’s trust. With Champions League nights returning, his experience suddenly looks invaluable.
Lisandro Martinez – 7
When Lisandro Martinez plays, United look better. That much remains true. The problem is how rarely he strings together a long run of games. His aggression and leadership still shine, but the injury record is now a major strategic issue. United can no longer build a season plan around his availability.
Matthijs de Ligt – 5
Matthijs de Ligt started like a cornerstone. Rio Ferdinand even called him United’s best defender as autumn turned to winter. Then came the injury in December, surgery, and a long absence that stripped the season of what could have been a defining campaign. United will hope the early-season version returns when he’s back.
Ayden Heaven – 8
Ayden Heaven emerged as one of the revelations. Whenever he started, he looked untouchable: assured on the ball, dominant in duels, mature beyond his years. His biggest problem was United’s schedule and selection logjam. Next season, he should not just play more – he has a strong case to start ahead of Martinez.
Tyler Fredricson – 2
Tyler Fredricson’s year never recovered from the humbling against Grimsby in August. He did not play a single minute after that, and his path now seems to lead away from Old Trafford. A season that promised opportunity ended in silence.
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes – 10
This was Bruno Fernandes’ season. Not just at United, but across the Premier League. He cleaned up the individual awards and equalled the league assist record, orchestrating United’s attack with a relentlessness that dragged the team up the table. The numbers were elite, but so was the influence: tempo, standards, responsibility. United are fortunate to have him at the peak of his powers.
Casemiro – 9
Casemiro bowed out on his own terms. The Brazil captain delivered the highest goal-scoring season of his career, driving from midfield with a ruthlessness that turned tight games. He leaves as a cult hero, a player whose short spell burned bright and ended with his reputation intact.
Kobbie Mainoo – 8
Kobbie Mainoo stood on the brink of the exit door not long ago. Post-Ruben Amorim, he surged back into the heart of the side, earned a new long-term contract and reminded everyone why the club rated him so highly. Intelligent on the ball, brave off it, he looks like a cornerstone for the next era.
Manuel Ugarte – 3.5
Every Manuel Ugarte substitution started to carry a sense of dread. When he came on, United lost control. The midfield shape frayed, the rhythm disappeared, and results followed. Trust evaporated over the course of the season, and a summer departure now feels likely for all parties.
Mason Mount – 5.5
For a fleeting spell under Amorim, Mason Mount seemed set for a resurgence. Then the injuries returned, the rhythm vanished and his role shrank. He never found a clear identity in this evolving United side. With squad spots and budget at a premium, the club may decide this is the moment to cash in.
Jack Fletcher – 5
Jack Fletcher’s debut came with caveats. Used in a more defensive role against Newcastle, he looked miscast rather than out of his depth. There is a player there, just not in the position he was asked to fill. Next season should bring more opportunities, ideally in a role that suits his strengths.
Tyler Fletcher – 5.5
Tyler Fletcher had only one real chance, but he made it count. Deployed in his favoured position off the bench, he looked composed and confident. It was a small sample, yet enough to suggest he deserves a longer look.
Attack
Matheus Cunha – 8
Matheus Cunha took time to warm up, then caught fire. Ten league goals in his debut campaign, many of them in crucial moments, showed how quickly he adapted to the shirt and the stage. His movement and link play knitted United’s front line together. The expectation now is simple: more of the same, at a higher level, with Champions League nights to come.
Benjamin Sesko – 8
From “worst signing of the summer” to one of the season’s quiet successes. Benjamin Sesko answered early doubts with 11 league goals in just 17 starts. Raw edges remain, but his finishing and physical presence give United a genuine No 9 option. This was a strong foundation year.
Bryan Mbeumo – 7.5
Bryan Mbeumo also hit double figures, a solid return for a first season. The frustration is that his form dipped under Carrick just when others were surging. Early promise gave way to a flatter finish, leaving the sense that there is another gear still to find.
Amad Diallo – 5.5
After lighting up 2024/25, Amad Diallo entered this season with heavy expectations. He did not meet them. The approach play remained sharp, but poor finishing left him with only two goals. The talent is undeniable; the task now is to rebuild his confidence and turn potential back into production.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
Joshua Zirkzee produced flashes – touches, turns, glimpses of the forward he might become – but never enough to convince. Over the course of the campaign, it became clear this was not the right fit. A summer move feels almost inevitable.
Shea Lacey – 7
Shea Lacey’s cameos crackled with excitement. Direct, fearless, he looked far too good for academy football. The red card in the FA Cup cast a shadow over his breakthrough, yet it should not define it. Had his strike against Burnley dipped under the bar, his season might already be remembered very differently.
Bendito Mantato – 5
Bendito Mantato’s involvement was limited and his impact modest. He did little wrong, but did not grab the campaign by the collar either. This was a season of treading water rather than breaking through.
Carrick now has a core: Lammens at the back, Heaven emerging, Mainoo maturing, Fernandes at his peak, and a forward line that finally carries goals. The dead wood is clearer, the direction firmer. With Champions League football returning to Old Trafford, the question is no longer whether United are back, but how far this group can go when the stakes rise again.
