Manchester United have appointed Michael Carrick as their permanent head coach, strengthened their squad with new signings, and set out to end a two-year trophy drought.There is optimism that the club is heading in the right direction, but with Champions League football returning, United must strike the right balance across a demanding campaign if they are to remain in contention at the business end of the season.It has been 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson last led them to the Premier League title and few expect that wait to end in May.While United finished third last season, they were still 14 points behind champions Arsenal.At no point were they in the title race. In fact, it was doubtful they would even finish in the top five after an underwhelming start. It was only once Ruben Amorim was replaced as head coach in January that United started to find consistent form.Some of the underlying numbers suggest United might be able to sustain results from last season.No team averaged more shots per game in the Premier League in 2025-26, with United also ranked fourth for expected goals, behind Arsenal, Chelsea and City.Only Arsenal and City scored more league goals than Manchester United. The Old Trafford outfit revamped their forward line, signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko — who combined for an impressive 32 goals in the Premier League.This summer, United have focused on midfield, which was in desperate need of strengthening after the exit of Casemiro. The serious injury suffered by Manuel Ugarte playing for Uruguay at the World Cup did not help matters, leaving Carrick short of another squad member.Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea to give Manchester United an all-round midfield presence, while Youri Tielemans’ signing from Aston Villa has improved Carrick’s side as a ball-playing team. Among all midfielders and attackers in the Premier League last season, Tielemans (18.3) led the way for the most defensive lines broken per 100 passes.