Manchester United are in the middle of a squad rebuild. The 2026-27 season will bring new challenges for Michael Carrick and his coaching staff, and if the club are to better compete on four fronts domestically and in Europe, they will need to recruit smartly.And so, welcome back to another edition of the ‘ Shopping For…’ series, in which The Athletic looks to find players best suited to the tactical needs of a particular United manager. Part one of ‘Shopping for Carrick…’ focused on defensive midfielders.Part two? Left-wingers…The existing options, and how they affect transfer plansPatrick Dorgu performed well in the first two matches of Carrick’s interim stint at the start of 2026, scoring in the Manchester derby before netting a goal-of-the-season contender against Arsenal. The 21-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in the latter stages of that 3-2 win in north London, but did return to feature in the final four matches of the season.Carrick may prefer Dorgu for games against tougher opposition in the league and in Europe, but Matheus Cunha is likely to be the head coach’s first choice on the left wing.The 27-year-old Brazil international had a series of noteworthy performances across his 2025-26 United debut season, with 10 goals and four assists in 35 appearances. Cunha’s playing relationship with Bruno Fernandes became a standout when United attacked, and his ability to commit defenders and attack the left half-space was a valued weapon.Marcus Rashford’s United career remains up in the air. Carrick was non-committal when asked about reintegrating the forward during press conferences last season. Barcelona’s decision to sign Anthony Gordon and then Karim Adeyemi have reduced Rashford’s chances of returning to the Catalan club where he spent most of last season on loan.If he is kept at United beyond this window closing on September 1 and reintegrated into the playing squad, that would reduce the need for another player in this position.The playing traits of Dorgu and Cunha may dictate the sort of winger United target this summer.The former is most dangerous when running in behind, while the latter is most threatening when attacking the half-space. A new addition may be useful as a point of variance: a confident dribbler comfortable when challenging a defender down the outside. If said winger were a talented crosser, that would complement the aerial ability of striker Benjamin Sesko. The ability to also play on the right at a pinch would help bolster squad depth, but is not a necessity.If money were no object, Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain or RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande would top such a shortlist. But United’s more immediate needs when retooling the midfield mean their winger search needs to focus on a lower price bracket.Did you spot Fernandez-Pardo at the World Cup?Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo made three brief appearances for Belgium in the group stage of the World Cup. The 21-year-old is one of several gems developing in a promising Lille side, and has shown proficiency playing on either wing and up front.Standing at 6ft (183cm) tall, Fernandez-Pardo excels when working in open space. He scored eight goals and provided five assists last season, with many of his best movements starting with him standing up a defender one-versus-one out wide. From there, he is fond of giving his opponent a quick drop of the shoulder and then burning them for pace.His passing in the final third is orientated towards getting the ball “in the right area”, rather than necessarily picking out a team-mate directly.Fernandez-Pardo favours low, driven efforts across the six-yard box, or chipped efforts towards either post…He can be effective when deployed on the wing, but his greater appeal comes through his stretchy skill set. During the first half of last season, Lille’s then head coach Bruno Genesio played him mostly on the left wing, before using him as a centre-forward for the final 11 league games.There are shades of (the young) Anthony Martial to Fernandez-Pardo’s off-ball running, where he can be confident on the underlap and sprinting in behind defences. However, his link-up play will need further development if he is to scale up to a top Premier League club.Fernandez-Pardo will need help making the jump to a club of United’s stature, and if he were to get such a move now, it would be to play as a winger rather than as a centre-forward outright.This is a rough diamond who requires polishing. He may need another season in French football first.Bahoya is another Eintracht Frankfurt success storyFrance Under-21 international Jean-Matteo Bahoya is yet another promising attacking player to find his feet at Eintracht Frankfurt in recent times. The 21-year-old is fast, skilful, and multi-positional, ranking in the top 15 Bundesliga players for chances created per 90 minutes (2.1) last season.An enjoyable aspect of Bahoya’s play comes in what he does after dribbling past a defender. Unlike many wingers his age, he largely avoids the rush of blood to the head that comes from a successful nutmeg or skill move. If Bahoya beats one defender, he’s not tempted to try to take on a second or third.While he is a winger who likes to use his first touch to knock the ball into space before assessing his passing options…… he is good at recognising when it is not the right time to do that.Bahoya’s instinct is to avoid dribbling through traffic jams, and instead to find a team-mate with a pass where possible. If he is inside the box and with the ball on his right foot, he might also gamble and try to get a shot away quickly.That said, his shooting needs further refinement, with the winger liable to lean back and scoop his efforts off target.He is in good company among Bundesliga players for key passes made last season after a successful take-on. Only Diomande, Michael Olise of Bayern Munich and St Pauli’s Arkadiusz Pyrka ranked above him for passing creativity after dribbling chaos.A look at his attacking data — provided by SkillCorner — offers a deeper view of his all-round game. Bahoya boasts intelligent link play, incisive dribbling, and decent defensive cover for his full-back as well.Eight of his 37 appearances last season came in more central areas, with Frankfurt using him as a left-sided No 10 in phases, similar to how United deployed Cunha.His immediate goal for 2026-27 will be to increase his attacking output. Three goals and four assists are reasonable numbers for a youngster in what was his second full Bundesliga campaign, but Bahoya will need to find a more clinical edge in and around the penalty area next season, be it still with Frankfurt or at another club.An exciting player with a bright future, Bahoya may command a hefty transfer fee in the coming years.Rodriguez may be another Spanish star of the futureTwenty-year-old winger Jesus Rodriguez had an impressive debut season with Como of Italy’s Serie A in 2025-26, with four goals and 10 assists across 36 appearances. A graduate of Real Betis’ youth academy, Rodriguez began his senior career on the right wing but swapped flanks after the Seville side signed Antony (yes, that one) on loan.He is wiry, two-footed and eye-catching for wearing his socks low down, and he can shred full-backs. Squint and tilt your head a bit, and you might spot flickers of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in Rodriguez’s game. He employs many small feints and drops of the shoulder to gain separation from a full-back, much like Kvaratskhelia does for PSG.Rodriguez attempts to take many small touches of the ball when dribbling, even when running into larger areas of open space. This habit is his attempt to constantly reassess the attacking situation and turn any one-versus-one duel into a ‘pick your poison’ conundrum for the defender up against him.If he spots his opponent resting on their heels, he attempts a quick burst of pace or chop inside onto his stronger foot. If he can’t attack the half-space, he’s confident enough when using his left foot to run on the outside.Last season under head coach Cesc Fabregas, Rodriguez developed into one of Como’s most reliable attacking threats. He dribbled and crossed the ball into the penalty area in good volume. No player in Serie A attempted more take-ons in the box than his total of 29 (Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz was some distance behind in second with 20).In addition to this, Rodriguez also led the division in shots immediately after a take-on, with eight (Yildiz was second for this statistic as well, with six).However, as with many young wingers, Rodriguez can run into trouble if his full-back refuses to take the bait on his dribbles. His dribbling doesn’t yet have the efficiency of top wingers such as Kvaratskhelia or Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.While Rodriguez is good in a one-versus-one duel, at the moment he is less effective in situations when defenders start using their shoulders more or have team-mates nearby to provide help. Making sure he gets a clean connection with the ball in the tightest of spaces will be Rodriguez’s next dribbling challenge.Yet the numbers make for encouraging reading. He averaged 6.1 take-ons per 90 in Serie A last season — only his team-mate Assane Diao (6.5) had more.However, his success rate on those was 35 per cent, and his fouls won per 90 was 1.7. This is a winger who is trying a lot of nutmegs, but not connecting on every trick (yet), or regularly getting the referee’s benefit of the doubt when a defender sticks a boot in.That the 20-year-old is already getting double-teamed when he gets the ball out wide speaks to his potential. Rodriguez is threatening to become one of the best players in Italy, and if he can prove himself as more than a single-season wonder, bigger clubs than Como will eventually come calling.He is another option with rich potential, but would be unlikely to dislodge Cunha from the starting line-up if he were to join United this summer.An earlier draft of this piece had a Summerville section…As reported in previous editions of The Athletic’s weekly Transfer DealSheet article, United held exploratory talks with relegated West Ham over a possible move for Crysencio Summerville. However, the Netherlands international was first subject to a bid from Roma, before looking set for a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in a deal that will reach €70million (£60m; $80m).The left-wing situation at United is a question of quality rather than quantity. In their first game of pre-season this past weekend, Dorgu started there before being replaced by academy prospect Ethan Williams at half-time. The club have further bolstered their options on the wing by signing 18-year-old winger Tynan Thompson from Tottenham, and the teenager’s acquisition has been described similarly to Ayden Heaven’s arrival from London neighbours Arsenal in February 2025.Thompson’s United career may start with him playing in the under-23s, but he could be fast-tracked to senior level if the situation requires it. The club appear willing to wait until players who participated in the World Cup — including Rashford — return from a brief summer holiday before reassessing the overall squad and market possibilities (World Cup participants are expected back for the pre-season game against Leeds on August 12).Carrick and his staff are preparing for a season of at least 55 games, competing on four fronts, and finding a quality left-winger who can add newness to the position while shopping on a budget will be difficult.There are options if the recruitment team wish to expand their purview. A player such as Benfica’s 22-year-old Norway international Andreas Schjelderup is worthy of a quick mention, but might not qualify as a ‘must buy’ when the club have problem positions elsewhere that need to be filled.Carrick already has depth on the left wing. Time will tell whether he has the required craft and versatility, too.