Five reasons for Man Utd fans to stay positive for 2026/27

Manchester United have had a disastrous start to the Premier League season, sitting 12th in the league, with pressure on Michael Carrick growing.

Michael Carrick needs results quickly. But no matter how bad Manchester United’s campaign has been so far, there are reasons for fans to stay positive and back the team to get better.

Getting right into it, here are five reasons.

Kobbie Mainoo’s world-class form

The Premier League and domestic campaign haven’t given Manchester United many reasons to be positive, but one undeniable silver lining has been the performances of Kobbie Mainoo. Mainoo has been league-leading in several areas of his game, and absolutely the standout performer so far.

After United’s midfield rebuild, Mainoo remains among the first names on the team sheet and is getting better and better with each passing week. This is the campaign that puts him into world-class conversations.

The scariest part for rivals is that Mainoo is only at the start of his career, after missing 18 months of development. Mainoo is one reason to be positive.

Amad, Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt returns

There will be reinforcements coming to the United ranks after this international break, right across the pitch. Carrick will be looking forward to getting Amad, Carlos Baleba, and Matthijs de Ligt all back as options bolstering defence, midfield, and attack.

United’s defence has been so poor all season, and De Ligt might be able to fix this if he returns to the same player we saw at the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign. While Amad will add balance to the front three with his creativity and running.

Meanwhile, we should also see Baleba’s debut against Spurs, adding some much-needed legs and intensity to the midfield department.

Shea Lacey ready to play a bigger role

Another silver lining from this season so far has been the emergence of Shea Lacey as a viable first-team option, scoring his first senior goal against Brighton in the cup. This proved that Lacey can play against Premier League opposition and hold his own.

Carrick hasn’t given Lacey enough time this season, but that can change at any moment, and after this international break would be the perfect time to start him and give the teenager a bigger role.

Lacey is on fire and also scored for England U20s during the break, so it makes complete sense for United to give him a chance to build on this momentum. United need to give Lacey every chance to succeed, and more playing time is the way to do this.

Underlying data is positive for Michael Carrick

While United have struggled for results in the league, the performances have deserved way more. Sitting 12th in the league, United’s expected points tally suggests we should be sixth. United have underperformed expected goals and overperformed expected goals against, all of which indicate things will pick up.

Carrick has maintained that United will be fine and that there isn’t anything to worry about, and if the underlying data is realised alongside expected improvements in fitness and system over time, United might be repaid for the patience in Carrick.

The only caveat to this is that United needs results quickly before the pressure on Carrick becomes untenable. If he can win some games while working out the kinks, then all faith might end up restored in Carrick.

Academy talents ready to step up

As the season progresses and injuries stack up, the exciting thing is that Manchester United could start seeing academy talents coming up through the ranks. Across the pitch, United have some really exciting talents with multiple on the cusp of senior football this season.

Noah Ajayi’s new contract showed that the club is treating him like a big deal and just how highly regarded he is. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Ajayi getting opportunities in the first-team in the coming months.

Jim Thwaites, Jayden Ngwashi, and Jaydan Kamason would be three others with a chance of stepping up in the immediate future for United. Carrick needs to lean into this to offer himself different options beyond underperforming senior players.