Ineos’ continued revamp of the Manchester United first team cannot overlook the need to reinforce one key position ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.
Manchester United saw a wave of signings last summer after Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha were added to the squad.
Ineos have already invested in the midfield this summer after bringing Andrey Santos to Old Trafford from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime has also invested in other areas of Michael Carrick’s squad, including through the signings of Karl Darlow, Tynan Thompson and Kit Margetson.
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Jim Ratcliffe of Great Britain INEOS Founder And Chairman / during the Team INEOS - Press Conference / @IneosProCycling / on May 01, 2019 in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
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Man Utd’s defensive issues should be a concern for Ineos, especially with the centre-back position
Manchester United fans only need to look back to Noussair Mazraoui being used as a makeshift centre-back last season for a sign that another defender is needed.
Ayden Heaven was fortunate to receive valuable first-team minutes because of the different injuries, but the pressure also intensified on the 19-year-old centre-back.
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Michael Carrick did what he could to navigate the turbulence of a Manchester United defence that saw the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez at times.
Harry Maguire was more reliable than both Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, but the defender was only one suspension away from showing the cracks at United.
Red Devils supporters are not the only ones concerned with the centre-back selection, with former Man Utd defender Danny Simpson echoing the sentiments.
“Lisandro Martinez is injured, Matthijs de Ligt gets injured a lot and Harry Maguire is 33 now, so I think we could do with a centre-back,” Danny Simpson told BBC Radio Manchester, as per BBC Sport.
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The injury days of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez alongside other Man Utd defenders show the true picture for Ineos
Matthijs de Ligt did not make a single appearance during Michael Carrick’s interim run in the 2025-26 campaign because of an injury setback under Ruben Amorim.
Lisandro Martinez had been Carrick’s preferred pick alongside Harry Maguire for a first-choice pairing, but the centre-back’s injury-hit record caught up with him.
According to Transfermarkt, the numbers below are the number of days that Martinez, Maguire, De Ligt and Leny Yoro all missed due to their respective injury setbacks.
Lisandro Martinez: 437 days
Matthijs de Ligt: 212 days
Harry Maguire: 57 days
Leny Yoro: 14 days
Ineos’ business is far from done, but the missed days that four Man Utd players had last season due to injuries show how important a centre-back signing is right now.
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