Manchester United 2025/26 Player Ratings: Fernandes Shines in Carrick's Era
The books are closed on Manchester United’s 2025/26 season, and for the first time in a while, they make decent reading. Third place, Champions League football secured, and Michael Carrick confirmed in the job. After two lost years, Old Trafford feels like a football club with a direction again.
The campaign belonged to a handful of standout performers – and to one man in particular.
Goalkeepers
Senne Lammens – 9
Nobody saw this coming. Lammens arrived with minimal noise and ended the year being talked about as one of the best keepers in the league. Commanding, calm, decisive in big moments – he turned a problem position into a strength. This was a statement debut season, and there’s a sense he’s only just getting started.
Altay Bayindir – 3.5
The contrast could not be sharper. Bayindir’s early-season chaos cost United points and any realistic tilt at the title. Misjudgements, nervous handling, a back line that never trusted him. It feels like the end of the road; a parting of ways now looks inevitable.
Full-backs
Luke Shaw – 7.5
At last, a season that matched his talent. Shaw stayed fit, offered balance on the left, and capped it with a goal against Nottingham Forest. Reliable, aggressive, and sharp in both boxes, this was arguably his best campaign in a United shirt. The question now is whether he can finally make this level the norm.
Diogo Dalot – 7.5
Carrick’s arrival changed his season. Moved back into his natural full-back role, Dalot grew in confidence and influence from January onwards. Strong defensively, brave on the ball, he ended the year as one of the first names on the team sheet. A quiet resurgence, but a crucial one.
Patrick Dorgu – 6.5
Injuries cut his season in half just as he was catching fire. Between late December and late January he looked every inch a long-term option at left-back – energetic, adventurous, and fearless. The hope inside the club will be that a clean bill of health next season brings a proper run in the side.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
Last season’s revelation became this season’s frustration. Mazraoui never hit his previous heights and drifted through games as a shadow of the player who impressed on arrival. On this evidence, a summer sale cannot be dismissed.
Tyrell Malacia – 2
Barely seen, and when he did appear, he struggled badly. Two substitute cameos, including being turned inside out by William Osula, summed up a lost season. Already confirmed to be leaving on a free, his United story ends with a whimper.
Centre-backs
Leny Yoro – 6.5
Flashes of why United invested in him, but not enough to nail down a starting role. Yoro’s season veered between promising and passive, and he never quite convinced as a first-choice option. He should see more minutes next year, though a loan has to be on the table if he stalls again.
Harry Maguire – 7.5
Written off more than once, Maguire has forced his way back into the club’s plans. A new deal tells its own story. He became a trusted pillar for Carrick, starting regularly and providing leadership when United needed calm. With Champions League nights returning, his experience will matter.
Lisandro Martinez – 7
When he plays, United look different. Aggressive, vocal, front-foot. But the same old issue lingers: fitness. Martinez’s repeated injury problems mean United cannot build a defence around him alone. His quality is unquestioned; his availability is not.
Matthijs de Ligt – 5
The season started with Rio Ferdinand calling him United’s best defender. It looked like a turning point. Then came December, surgery, and a long spell out. De Ligt’s early form hinted at a commanding presence, but the campaign ultimately became another story of what might have been. United need that autumn version back – and quickly.
Ayden Heaven – 8
One of the revelations of the year. When Heaven started, he was outstanding – composed, aggressive, and rarely flustered. His biggest problem was not form but fixtures; United’s schedule limited his chances. On merit, he should be ahead of Martinez in the pecking order next season.
Tyler Fredricson – 2
Expected to step up, he instead disappeared from the picture after the humbling at Grimsby in August. Not a single minute since. A departure now feels almost inevitable.
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes – 10
This was his season. Fernandes didn’t just carry United; he dominated the Premier League. Every individual award came his way, and he equalled the league’s single-season assist record. Creative, relentless, and constantly demanding more from those around him, he played at a level reserved for the very best. United are fortunate he calls Old Trafford home.
Casemiro – 9
A farewell on his own terms. Casemiro produced the most prolific goal-scoring campaign of his career, mixed with the usual bite and big-game nous. He leaves having etched himself into United folklore as a cult hero, not just for his quality but for the way he dragged standards upwards when they were slipping.
Kobbie Mainoo – 8
From the brink of the exit to the heart of the project. After the Amorim era threatened to push him out, Mainoo flourished once the shackles came off. He reclaimed his starting spot, earned a long-term contract, and reminded everyone why the club rates him so highly. Elegant, brave in possession, and maturing fast – this felt like the season he truly arrived.
Manuel Ugarte – 3.5
Every time he came on, the mood dipped. Ugarte’s cameos became synonymous with United losing control of games. The numbers and the eye test told the same story: the team simply didn’t function with him on the pitch. A clean break in the summer looks the logical outcome.
Mason Mount – 5.5
There was a moment early on when it looked like he might finally click under Amorim. Then came injuries, interruptions, and a season that never really took shape. Mount drifted to the fringes, and it is hard to see where he fits long term. A sale would not shock anyone now.
Jack Fletcher – 5
Given a debut, then misused. Asked to operate in a more defensive role against Newcastle, he struggled to impose himself. There’s talent there, but United must profile him correctly if he is to grow next season.
Tyler Fletcher – 5.5
One brief outing, but it told a different story to his twin’s. Used in his natural position, he looked assured and confident in limited minutes. A small sample, yet a promising one.
Attack
Matheus Cunha – 8
A slow burner who finished with a roar. Ten league goals in his first season is a strong return, especially after a hesitant start. Cunha grew into the shirt, linked play smartly, and found his range in front of goal. The sense is clear: there’s more to come.
Benjamin Sesko – 8
From “worst signing of the summer” to one of the most effective. Sesko answered the early noise with 11 league goals in just 17 starts. Direct, powerful, and increasingly ruthless, he turned scepticism into belief over the course of the campaign.
Bryan Mbeumo – 7.5
Hit double figures, contributed heavily, and yet still leaves a hint of frustration. Mbeumo’s form dipped under Carrick just as others were kicking on. The output remained respectable, but the trajectory flattened. Next season will tell whether this was a blip or his ceiling.
Amad Diallo – 5.5
Last season’s breakout star stalled. The build-up play remained sharp, but his finishing deserted him, and he ended with only two goals. Expectations were higher, and he fell short. The challenge now is simple: rebuild his confidence and sharpen that final touch.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
Moments of flair, but not enough substance. Zirkzee never convinced as a long-term fit, his season underlining the doubts rather than dispelling them. A summer move feels like the natural conclusion.
Shea Lacey – 7
A glimpse of the future. His cameos were bright, inventive, and fearless, though the red card in the FA Cup clouded the picture slightly. Still, he looks far too good for academy football. With a bit more discipline, he should see serious minutes next year. Only the woodwork denied him a stunning goal against Burnley.
Bendito Mantato – 5
On the fringes, flickering rather than fully igniting. Mantato’s involvement hinted at trust but never quite developed into a defined role. Next season will decide whether he becomes part of the core or slips away from the conversation.
Carrick has his platform now: a third-place finish, Champions League football, and a spine built around Lammens, Heaven, Mainoo and a peak-version Bruno Fernandes. The dead wood will move on, the squad will evolve, but the direction is clear.
The real question is whether this was a step back to relevance – or just the first stride towards a genuine title challenge.
