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Manchester United have made a steady start to the transfer window, and there is almost certain to be more to come from Michael Carrick.

The Manchester United rebuild is now firmly under way.

Michael Carrick has already added the likes of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, but with less than a month left before the start of the Premier League season, there is surely more to come from Manchester United as they prepare for a return to the Champions League and look to add depth across the squad.

So, what would the ideal outcome be for the rest of the window?

Manchester United played only 40 games in all competitions last season. While the attack of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo clicked well in their first season together, it may still need extra support if the team are to compete on four fronts.

Cunha does not have a like-for-like backup, which means that if the Brazilian is used as a false nine, there is no obvious replacement on the left wing, with Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu offering something slightly different. The links with Ismaila Sarr make sense given United's success in signing Premier League-proven attackers last summer, with the Red Devils needing a forward who can handle the intensity without the ball and produce numbers similar to Cunha's. Taken together, those factors probably rule out Rafael Leao and a return for Marcus Rashford.

This will be Diogo Dalot's ninth season as a United player, while Noussair Mazraoui has, for one reason or another, failed to make the right-back position his own. It is a clear area for improvement for the Red Devils, and Carrick needs someone comparable to Patrick Dorgu on the opposite side.

United have been linked on and off with Julian Ryerson for that role, and with the Borussia Dortmund man being a top-level chance creator, a move for him could help the attack as much as the defence, perhaps taking Bruno Fernandes to an even higher level after the season of his life. With both Dalot and Mazraoui able to play on the left, surely only one of them would need to leave.

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Sesko is still only 23 and is still adjusting to Premier League football. Cunha can play up front, as mentioned, but not only has Joshua Zirkzee underperformed as the Slovenian's alternative, he is also a slightly different type of player who prefers to come short rather than run in behind.

While a headline striker to compete with Sesko would be ideal, there are very few of them around, especially at a reasonable price. United could certainly do worse than bringing Danny Welbeck back home: he turns 36 this autumn, is still in good physical condition, is excellent in big matches and brings plenty of experience with him.

Welbz played 40 times in all competitions last season and may only be able to appear in half that number this time around, as the senior figure in United's attack. But reliability and work-rate are qualities United have gambled on far too often over the past decade, and you know exactly what you are getting from the Brighton man for one season before launching that huge bid for a new no.9 in 12 months' time.

Youri Tielemans is a forward-thinking no.6 who has been at his best over the years when playing alongside an Andre Onana or a Wilfried Ndidi to do the defensive work for him. Kobbie Mainoo is not a ball-winning monster, though, while Andrey Santos is still a little raw.

Casemiro's revival last season showed just how valuable a proper old-fashioned destroyer can be at Old Trafford, and an injury to Manuel Ugarte surely makes this a no-brainer. Carlos Baleba's value has dropped enough since he was last linked with a move to make him considerably cheaper than the Caicedo-sized fee demanded last summer, while Tyler Adams and Manu Kone could both be transformative.

Eduardo Camavinga remains the dream, though. The Frenchman is entering his prime, has the physicality for the Premier League and his ability to play at left-back could also allow United to use more creative midfields against deep defences, especially with Ryerson on the other side. It is the one midfield position Carrick has not strengthened so far, and it could well take this side to the level where it can challenge for the title.