Manchester United 2025/26 Player Ratings: Bruno's Masterpiece and Carrick's Revival
The book closes on Manchester United’s 2025/26 season with something the club has been starved of in recent years: genuine optimism. Third place, Champions League football secured, and Michael Carrick handed the job on a permanent basis. For once, Old Trafford feels like it’s building towards something, not just surviving the chaos.
Here is how the squad measured up across a season that quietly reset expectations.
Goalkeepers
Senne Lammens – 9
Signed without fanfare, Lammens ended the season as one of the Premier League’s standout goalkeepers. Calm under pressure, authoritative in his box and sharp in one‑v‑ones, he transformed a position that had become a problem. For a debut campaign, this was exceptional. The scary part for the rest of the league: he should only get better.
Altay Bayindir – 3.5
The contrast could not be starker. Bayindir’s early-season errors cost United points and, with them, a genuine tilt at the title. He never recovered his composure or his place. It feels like the end of the road at Old Trafford.
Full-backs
Luke Shaw – 7.5
At last, a season where Luke Shaw’s body allowed his talent to breathe. He stayed fit, offered balance on the left, and even capped things off with a goal against Forest. This was as complete and consistent as he has looked in a United shirt. The question now is whether he can repeat it.
Diogo Dalot – 7.5
Carrick’s arrival changed Dalot’s year. Restored to a more natural full-back role, he thrived from January onwards, combining energy with intelligence on and off the ball. By the end of the campaign, he was one of the first names on the team sheet.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
Last season’s revelation turned into this season’s frustration. Mazraoui never got close to his previous level, looking a shadow of the player who impressed on debut. On this evidence, a summer sale cannot be dismissed.
Tyrell Malacia – 2
Barely a footnote. Two brief appearances, one grim cameo against Newcastle, and the enduring image of being turned inside out by William Osula. His departure on a free tells its own story.
Centre-backs
Leny Yoro – 6.5
Flashes of the defender he could become, mixed with long spells where he simply did not convince enough to nail down a starting place. Hot and cold. Next season should bring more minutes, but a loan is a conversation United have to have.
Harry Maguire – 7.5
Written off, again. And, again, Maguire refused to go quietly. He earned a new contract and Carrick’s trust, starting regularly and bringing a measure of stability. With Champions League football returning, his experience suddenly looks very valuable.
Lisandro Martinez – 7
When he plays, he lifts United. Aggressive, front-foot, endlessly combative. But the same story keeps repeating: too many injuries, too many absences. Carrick may have to plan for a future where Martinez is a luxury, not a pillar.
Matthijs de Ligt – 5
The season began with Rio Ferdinand calling him United’s best defender. It felt justified at the time. Then December arrived, the injuries followed, and his campaign never restarted. He should return early next season after surgery, but he has to rediscover that early form quickly.
Ayden Heaven – 8
One of the revelations of the year. Whenever Heaven started, he looked untouchable: composed, athletic, assured in big moments. The only thing that held him back was United’s lighter schedule. On merit, he should be ahead of Martinez in the pecking order going into Europe.
Tyler Fredricson – 2
A season that promised opportunity and delivered almost nothing. After the humbling defeat to Grimsby in August, he disappeared from the picture. A summer exit now feels inevitable.
Left-back depth
Patrick Dorgu – 6.5
Injury cut right through what could have been a breakout campaign. Between late December and late January, he offered a glimpse of a dynamic, modern left-back who could push Shaw. If he stays fit, he deserves another run at it next year.
Midfield
Bruno Fernandes – 10
This was Bruno Fernandes at his absolute peak. The best player in the Premier League this season, and recognised as such. He equalled the Premier League assist record and dragged United’s attack up to his level. Every creative thread ran through him. United are fortunate he calls Old Trafford home; seasons like this are how legends are written.
Casemiro – 9
If this was the farewell tour, it was delivered on his terms. Casemiro produced the highest goal return of his career and left a lasting imprint as a cult hero. He mixed steel with late-career attacking instinct, and bowed out with his reputation enhanced, not eroded.
Kobbie Mainoo – 8
From the brink of the exit door to the heart of the project. After struggling under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo blossomed once that chapter closed. He reclaimed his starting place, earned a long-term contract and reminded everyone why he was so highly rated. A special footballer, now making up for lost time.
Manuel Ugarte – 3.5
For United fans, his introductions off the bench became a warning sign. When Ugarte played, United lost control of games far too often. The numbers and the eye test agreed: it did not work. A summer sale now feels like the logical conclusion.
Mason Mount – 5.5
There was a moment when it looked ready to click. Under Amorim, Mount seemed set for a major role, only for injuries to slice his season apart. By the end, he felt peripheral. With the squad evolving, it is hard to see a clear pathway for him beyond this year; United may be tempted to cash in.
Jack Fletcher – 5
Handed a debut and then handed a problem. Miscast by Amorim in a more defensive role against Newcastle, he understandably struggled. The talent is there, but next season he needs to be used where he belongs if he is to push on.
Tyler Fletcher – 5.5
One cameo, but a much more natural fit. Deployed in his favoured position, he looked composed and confident. A small sample size, yet enough to justify a closer look.
Attack
Matheus Cunha – 8
A slow start, then a surge. Cunha grew into the shirt, finishing his debut league campaign with 10 goals and an increasing sense of authority in the final third. His movement and link play knitted attacks together. All signs point to an even bigger second season.
Benjamin Sesko – 8
From “worst signing of the summer” to one of the quiet success stories. Sesko answered the noise with numbers: 11 league goals in just 17 starts. Powerful, direct and increasingly ruthless, he turned perception on its head.
Bryan Mbeumo – 7.5
The third attacking recruit to hit double figures. Mbeumo offered goals, versatility and sharp combinations in the final third. Yet as Carrick’s influence grew, his own form faded. A good season, but one that ended with a slight sense of underachievement.
Amad Diallo – 5.5
Last year’s breakout forward could not find the same spark. He remained lively in build-up, but his finishing deserted him, leaving him with just two goals. The talent is obvious; the confidence is not. Next season becomes a test of his resilience.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
There were flickers of what he can do – the touches, the link play, the odd clever run – but across the season, it simply confirmed the fit is wrong. A summer move feels like the natural next step for both player and club.
Shea Lacey – 7
Electric in short bursts, Lacey looked far too advanced for academy football. His cameos hinted at a player ready for senior responsibility, even if a red card in the FA Cup blotted the copybook. He came within inches of a stunning goal against Burnley; that moment will surely come.
Bendito Mantato – 5
On the fringes, tasting senior football without yet forcing his way into the core rotation. A steady, if unspectacular, step into the first-team environment.
A third-place finish, Champions League nights on the horizon, a manager who has steadied the ship, and a squad where genuine stars sit alongside obvious deadwood. Manchester United have finally drawn a clear line under the last two years. The real question now is simple: with Bruno Fernandes at his peak and Carrick in command, how far can this group actually go?
