Michael Carrick is clear about his immediate priorities with Bruno Fernandes as the midfielder approaches the final year of his Manchester United contract. The manager expects continuity and has signalled the club’s desire to keep a player who has become central to the dressing room.

Carrick was blunt when asked whether Fernandes would still be at the club for the start of the 2026–27 season. “I’ve got no reason to think otherwise.

“We’ve loved what he’s done, and he loves being here. I think you can see that. He’s such an influence for us. He’s been the captain and led by example in different ways. He wants to stay on every single game because he’s enjoying his football, which is fantastic.”

Fernandes will turn 32 in September and has voiced his awareness of how age is viewed in English football. “In England,” he fretted earlier this season, “when a player starts to approach 30, they start to think they need to remodel. It’s like the furniture.” That reality shapes the negotiating backdrop ahead of planned talks.

Talks over a new deal are expected to occur over the coming weeks, BBC Sport report. Manchester United are thought to have the option of unilaterally extending Fernandes’s existing contract for an extra year but, heading towards the World Cup, United’s best player is set to be a free agent by the end of next season.

With the exit of Casemiro, Fernandes stands alone as the club’s top earner. His salary was inflated to somewhere in the region of $470,000 per week following the club’s return to Champions League competition. That places him among the Premier League’s best paid players, and any further increase would represent a major financial commitment.

The relevant question for United is not whether Fernandes merits an extension; that is evident. The issue is whether the club can be confident “Will Fernandes be worth the millions he earns by the end of whatever new deal he is offered?” The article notes similar dilemmas elsewhere, where big short-term deals have carried long-term risk.

Michael Carrick has warned Manchester United’s recruitment team that there is work to be done as he prepares for his first full season in charge after being given the permanent job.

Carrick made clear he expects new arrivals this summer and stressed the club must continue to push forward. “I think the beauty of the next transfer window, for everybody, it’s always the biggest thing in the world, and the most important transfer window of all time, for every club, I think,” Carrick explained.

“That’s just the nature of how it’s been created, to be honest, and I think, again, as a football club, you want to keep moving forward. We certainly do. As a football club, we want to keep moving forward.

“I think it’s acknowledged we’re at this stage, and the dynamics and the balance of the direction we’re at, where we’ve ended up getting to and finishing in the league, there’s obviously work to do.

“It’s quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there’s a bit of work to do, but this one is not any more important than the last one, it’s what’s ahead of us as a football club to try and make the most of it.”

The squad faces a clear midfield priority. Casemiro will depart upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the season, while Carrick’s continuation at Old Trafford likely spells the end for Manuel Ugarte. Those departures would leave Kobbie Mainoo as the only natural central midfielder in the first-team squad.

Finding a partner for Mainoo is the stated priority and Carrick underlined the need to consider squad balance across a long season in multiple competitions. “There’s a balance as a football club, because you’re not necessarily, whenever it is, bringing a player in just to play with one player,” Carrick explained. “I think it’s about fitting the squad, the balance of the squad, being able to cope with playing here in different competitions for so many games.

“So it’s not necessarily … I’m talking quite broad here in general. With any player, you’re not just bringing them just to play with one player, but certainly there’s a dynamic and there’s a balance that needs to be had.”

Carrick’s message to the recruitment team is straightforward: rebuild around the present squad shape and deliver the midfield support needed for the season ahead.

Inter Miami forward Telasco Segovia appeared to confirm reports linking Casemiro to the club when he told assembled reporters: “I know Casemiro is coming.” The remark, captured by Olé, came while Segovia discussed his ambitions after training alongside some of the best to ever feature on the continent.

The 34-year-old Casemiro has been the subject of persistent speculation as he approaches free agency. His form at United prompted fans and several players to appeal for “one more year” of his services, but the midfielder has moved toward those reports of an MLS switch. Recent coverage has described Miami as on the cusp of securing his agreement after outmaneuvering MLS rivals LA Galaxy.

Segovia, 23, sought to temper his own comments by adding: “If he does come, he’s more than welcome; he’ll bring a lot to the team, and I think he’s going to give us so much.” The forward’s words offer an early, unplanned confirmation that allows supporters to better picture Casemiro in a pink shirt.

Lionel Messi’s teammate would join a squad that pauses competitive action for the World Cup. After Sunday’s clash with Philadelphia Union at Nu Stadium, the Herons will not be back in action until July 22, when Chicago Fire visit. Should Casemiro’s Brazil reach the World Cup final on July 19, it is unlikely he will be available for Miami’s match against the Fire.

Casemiro has been granted a reprieve for United’s final Premier League game to prepare for the upcoming tournament, which is expected to be his last for Brazil. Having completed a full European club season that began in August, the ageing midfielder will require time to recover ahead of the international competition.