Carrick installed permanently — first full pre-season
Michael Carrick takes Manchester United into 26/27 on a permanent two-year deal after the interim run that began in January 2026. He inherits a 3rd-placed 25/26 finish (71 points) and Champions League football. For Fantasy Premier League managers, the United outlook is the strongest it has been in five seasons: Carrick gets a full pre-season for the first time, Bruno Fernandes is the template-anchor pick of the post-Salah era, and £80m signing Benjamin Šeško (£7.0m in the official game) solves the No. 9 question definitively.
Bruno Fernandes — the new template-anchor premium mid
Bruno Fernandes (projected £12.0m) is the Onside model's new premium-midfield template-anchor for 26/27. His 25/26 numbers — 235 FPL points (2nd overall behind Haaland), a Premier League-record 21 assists, 8 goals, 12 double-digit hauls — establish him as the safest premium mid in the game. He takes penalties, corners, and direct free kicks. He missed three games all season.
Post-Salah, Bruno absorbs much of the premium-midfield ownership Salah used to command. At the projected £8.5m price, his points-per-pound ratio is the highest of any premium asset across all positions. Top-1k squads will own Bruno at 60%+ GW1.
Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško lead the attack
Matheus Cunha (joined from Wolves summer 2025 for £74m) is United's incumbent attacking forward at a projected £7.5-8.5m. He takes some penalty backup duty (Bruno is first-choice) and operates as a left-sided attacking midfielder. His 24/25 xGI per 90 of 0.61 translates to a 12-15 PL goal projection at United — putting him in the mid-bracket forward tier.
Benjamin Šeško — signed from RB Leipzig — is the No. 9 the squad had been searching for, and at £7.0m in the official game he is a credible third Manchester United FPL asset alongside Bruno and Cunha. GW1 is away at newly promoted Hull in the Saturday early kick-off.
The four United players most of the game already owns
This article was written before ownership settled, and it skipped the players who actually ended up in everyone's squad. Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) is owned by 33.2% of the game — more than any United asset except Bruno Fernandes — after arriving from Brentford. Luke Shaw (£4.5m, 21.8%) is the cheapest starting defender at a big-six club and the standard enabler. Senne Lammens (£5.0m, 17.8%) is the goalkeeper. Harry Maguire (£5.0m, 14.5%) is the set-piece aerial threat from the back.
Between them that is 87% of cumulative ownership this page had nothing to say about. Prices and ownership verified against the live FPL API on 20 August.
United's 26/27 captaincy and ownership template
Manchester United are fourth-favourites for the 26/27 title at their best market position since 2021 — sentiment around the squad is genuinely positive for the first time in years. Champions League midweeks before GW1 are not expected (United enter the league phase directly), so no rotation tax. The recommended exposure: Bruno Fernandes is mandatory for any top-1k squad. Cunha is a credible mid-bracket forward pick. A Bruno + Cunha + Šeško triple-up is the modal United template.
Defensive picks at United remain weak — clean sheets have been inconsistent under every recent manager. Carrick's system is still bedding in; defensive double-ups at United are not the modal template. Wait until GW6+ for evidence before locking in United defensive exposure.