Man Utd’s top 10 2026/27 sprint speeds compared with last season as Michael Carrick is lacking key figure

Manchester United’s top speedsters from the 2026-27 Premier League season and the ones from the previous campaign are a real eye-opener for Michael Carrick in the difference between the two.

Michael Carrick has been unable to avoid the stinging criticism that Manchester United first-team players have not been ‘running enough’ this season.

The 45-year-old United manager raised the point about the Red Devils’ lack of intensity after he pushed back on Bruno Fernandes’ criticism of his tactics.

United players have been called out for not exerting more energy against the opposition on the pitch, including in the Fulham, Brighton and Como fixtures.

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Patrick Dorgu’s absence is notable for Michael Carrick this season compared with last season’s top speedy Man Utd players

Michael Carrick’s tactics at Manchester United have unravelled in the 2026-27 campaign and the 45-year-old Red Devils legend faces a real challenge ahead. The United manager has seen a shift in some of the Red Devils stars who make up the top 10 speedy players this season compared with the previous campaign’s list.

FotMob has tracked the data from the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons and Patrick Dorgu’s absence has been notable. Patrick Dorgu was tied last season with Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot after clocking in a top speed of 34.7 km/h. However, the 22-year-old Danish left-back, who can also play as a winger for United, is absent from the current campaign.

Man Utd’s top 10 speedsters in the 2026-27 Premier League season at Old Trafford:

• 10. Leny Yoro: 32.3 km/h
• 9. Bruno Fernandes: 32.4 km/h
• 8. Amad Diallo: 32.8 km/h
• 7. Joshua Zirkzee: 33.1 km/h
• 6. Marcus Rashford: 33.4 km/h
• 5. Diogo Dalot: 33.9 km/h
• 4. Benjamin Sesko: 34.3 km/h
• 3. Luke Shaw: 34.4 km/h
• 2. Matheus Cunha: 34.6 km/h
• 1. Bryan Mbeumo: 35.4 km/h

Dorgu’s role in the starting XI has been contentious for United fans, despite Carrick’s desire to tap into his ability as a winger. The Denmark international found himself playing ahead of Matheus Cunha last season during the early part of Carrick’s interim reign before an injury derailed his momentum.

Dorgu is currently out of Premier League action due to a hamstring injury that he suffered during international duty with Denmark in the extended October break. In the three matches against Fulham, Brighton and Como, Dorgu only featured in one of the encounters for Carrick’s men.

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Manchester United’s top 10 speeds recorded during the 2025-26 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford:

• 10. Ayden Heaven: 33.3 km/h
• 9. Manuel Ugarte: 33.5 km/h
• 8. Luke Shaw: 33.6 km/h
• 7. Leny Yoro: 33.9 km/h
• 6. Patrick Dorgu: 34.7 km/h
• 5. Diogo Dalot: 34.7 km/h
• 4. Amad Diallo: 34.7 km/h
• 3. Matheus Cunha: 34.9 km/h
• 2. Benjamin Sesko: 35.3 km/h
• 1. Bryan Mbeumo: 36.1 km/h

Dorgu came off the bench and played six minutes in a late cameo in Man Utd’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage in September. The Denmark international made a huge impact as well after he set up Matheus Cunha in the second half of Man Utd’s crucial second-half equaliser against Fulham.

Dorgu has been reduced to six appearances across all competitions this season and has only made two Premier League starts from five matches for Man Utd so far. Even the Red Devils left-back and left-winger’s absence has sparked debates on platforms like Reddit around whether he should start against the ‘quicker teams’ than Luke Shaw at left-back.

While Luke Shaw made the top speedsters in both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns, the 31-year-old former England international’s injury history has caught up with him again. Carrick’s tactics might be lacking the intensity that Dorgu brings on the pitch, whether as a left winger or at left-back. The United boss has predominantly relied on Dorgu as an attacking option, but the Danish talent’s speed could be the solution to his left-back woes this season.