※ Notes & Evaluation Criteria
- Players are graded based on performance relative to expectation. A player with lower expectations may be placed in a higher tier — or ranked ahead of others within the same tier — despite delivering a similar level of output.
- Playing time and status expectations are set according to weekly wages, as follows:
- Key Player: £200,000/w or above (£190,000/w or above for defenders, accounting for positional market differences)
- Regular Starter: £150,000/w or above
- Rotation Player: £100,000/w or above
- Squad Player: Below £100,000/w
- Tier placements reflect standing within this squad, not the wider Premier League. A player in the A-tier is not necessarily A-tier by Premier League standards.
- All statistics sourced from Sofascore.
[ tier s ]
bruno fernandes (mf)
Wages: 300,000￡/w (2nd)
expected: key player
| AM, DM |
| 3201 Min. 37MP 36Starts |
| Win Rate 51.35% |
| PL 9 Goals 21 Assists 33 Big Chances Created 137 Key Passes 662 Acc. Final Third Passes 82.2% Pass Accuracy |
casemiro (mf)
Wages: 350,000￡/w (1st)
expected: key player
| DM |
| 2582 Min. 35MP 33Starts |
| Win Rate 54.3% |
| PL 9 Goals 2 Assists 81.31% Pass Accuracy 54.09% Long Ball Accuracy 4.81 Recoveries p90 1.08 Interceptions p90 |
- Bruno Fernandes — “The Greatest Since Ferguson”
- Fernandes registered 9 goals and 21 assists in the league this season — 30 goal contributions in total — breaking the Premier League single-season assist record in the process. Despite picking up an injury, he recovered quickly and logged over 3,000 minutes, embodying the kind of iron-man reliability United have so rarely had. The numbers that stand out most, however, are his 137 key passes and 33 big chances created — figures that dwarf those of the next-best in each category: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool (78 key passes) and Rayan Cherki of Manchester City (19 big chances created). The best player at this club since Ferguson. A United legend, without question.
- Casemiro — “The Last Dance”
- The veteran, now 34, saved his finest hour for last. He arrived for pre-season in remarkable physical condition and delivered on both sides of the ball throughout the campaign. His ability to shut down the midfield was world-class, his composure in possession was quietly excellent, and his refusal to let intensity drop — even in the dying minutes of matches — was the stuff of old soldiers who simply refuse to go quietly. Nine league goals from set-pieces, and an aerial dominance that was arguably unmatched anywhere in the world this season. A fitting farewell.
[ tier a ]
luke shaw (DF)
Wages: 150,000￡/w (7th)
expected: regular starter
| LB, CB |
| 3219 Min. 38MP 38Starts |
| Win Rate 52.63% |
| 60.81% Tackles Won 1.28 Interceptions p90 2.99 Recoveries p90 17 Dribbles Past |
senne lammens (GK)
Wages: 60,000￡/w (18th)
expected: second gK
| GK |
| 2970 Min. 33MP 33Starts |
| Win Rate 54.55% |
| PL 8 Clean Sheets 39 Conceded 2.5(67%) Saves p90 4.39 Goals Prevented |
bryan mbeumo (FW)
Wages: 150,000￡/w (7th)
expected: regular starter
| ST, RW, LW |
| 2666 Min. 34MP 31Starts |
| Win Rate 55.88% |
| PL 11 Goals 3 Assists 4 Opening Goals 0 Equalizers 2 Winning Goals |
matheus cunha (FW)
Wages: 180,000￡/w (5th)
expected: regular starter
| LW, ST |
| 2683 Min. 35MP 31Starts |
| Win Rate 51.43% |
| PL 10 Goals 2 Assists 3 Opening Goals 1 Equalizers 3 Winning Goals |
- Luke Shaw — “Nobody Stops a Fit Luke Shaw”
- For a player whose injury record had raised genuine questions about whether he could ever be considered a reliable fixture in the squad, playing every single one of United’s 38 league matches was a statement in itself. He was solid and dependable throughout, providing a reassuring presence on the left side of defence. The overlapping runs and raw pace that defined his peak years were largely absent, but his experience and defensive intelligence made a tangible difference to how many goals United conceded. Sometimes consistency is the most underrated quality of all.
- Senne Lammens — “The Next van der Sar”
- With Onana misfiring and Bayındır failing to convince when given his chance, nobody could have predicted that a 23-year-old largely unknown at this level would emerge as United’s solution between the sticks. Yet that is exactly what happened. Lammens was composed, commanding in the air, and offered genuine quality with the ball at his feet — adding a dimension to United’s build-up that his predecessors had consistently failed to provide. He is not the kind of goalkeeper who produces jaw-dropping saves in the De Gea mould, but he made plenty of them nonetheless. His greatest asset is something harder to quantify: an unshakeable sense of calm. One mistake against Liverpool aside, he was a model of consistency from start to finish.
- Bryan Mbeumo — “Here’s to an Even Better Next Season”
- His form dipped after the Africa Cup of Nations, but during Amorim’s tenure he was unquestionably United’s best player — a level of performance recognised with the Premier League Player of the Month award in October. He adapted willingly, filling in at striker and on the left wing when the situation demanded it, and delivered where it mattered in the first half of the season. He never quite reached the heights of his 24/25 campaign, but the foundation is there. The hope for next season is that we see the Brentford version of Mbeumo — for the full 38 games.
- Matheus Cunha — “A Sharp Second Blade”
- He came to Old Trafford without Champions League football on offer, driven purely by the desire to play for this club — and he repaid that faith. There were early criticisms around his tendency to hold the ball too long, but what United had not had from a left winger in years was someone who pressed as relentlessly as he did and contributed goals when they were needed most. He is capable of hurting teams in every phase of the attack. More of the same next season, and then some.
[ tier b ]
harry maguire (DF)
Wages: 190,000￡/w (4th)
expected: key player
| CB |
| 1768 Min. 25MP 20Starts |
| Win Rate 56% |
| 0.97 Conceded p90 77.27% Tackles Won 0.66 Interceptions p90 70% Duels Won |
benjamin sesko (fw)
Wages: 160,000￡/w (6th)
expected: regular starter
| ST |
| 1815 Min. 32MP 19Starts |
| Win Rate 46.88% |
| PL 11 Goals 1 Assists 1 Opening Goals 2 Equalizers 4 Winning Goals |
diogo dalot (df)
Wages: 85,000￡/w (16th)
expected: squad player
| RB, RWB, LWB |
| 2796 Min. 36MP 31Starts |
| Win Rate 50% |
| 56.6% Tackles Won 0.87 Interceptions p90 4.35 Recoveries p90 21 Dribbles Past |
amad diallo (mf)
Wages: 120,000￡/w (11th)
expected: rotation player
| RWB, RW, LW |
| 2426 Min. 33MP 28Starts |
| Win Rate 57.58% |
| PL 2 Goals 3 Assists 49.37% Dribbles 87.94% Pass Accuracy 24.44% Cross Accuracy |
- Harry Maguire — “The Human Comeback Story”
- Heading into the season as United’s fourth or fifth-choice centre-back, Maguire was handed opportunities by injury and poor form elsewhere — and he took every one of them. His reading of the game kept attackers at bay, and the vulnerabilities that had made him a target for ridicule — his lack of pace, his exposure to balls in behind — found no purchase against Carrick’s defensive structure. That the most mocked footballer on the planet just a few years ago has earned genuine respect this season says something not just about the player, but about the person. The performances merited an A; the playing time dictated a B.
- Benjamin Sesko — “A Proper No. 9, at Last”
- There were serious doubts at the point of signing about whether Sesko could fix United’s striker problem, and the first half of the season did little to quieten them. But his reinvention as a devastating impact substitute under Carrick was one of the more compelling subplots of the second half of the campaign. Four winning goals. A penalty box presence and aerial threat that United simply have not had for years. He, Cunha and Mbeumo produced comparable output overall, but the gap in minutes played was enough to separate Sesko into the B tier.
- Diogo Dalot — “A Dependable Presence”
- Neither spectacular nor a liability — Dalot is the kind of player who rarely makes headlines for the wrong reasons, and that consistency has its own value. His willingness to play out of position without complaint is something that cannot be taken for granted. His attacking quality when overlapping is decent, though he has a tendency to take on the shooting responsibility himself in situations where the forward option is the better call — and that has cost him on occasion. Regardless, a player who puts in close to 2,800 minutes on a relatively modest wage deserves a degree of credit.
- Amad Diallo — “Be Bolder Next Season”
- The sensation of last season under Amorim, Amad never quite recaptured that form this time around. The instinctive, almost futsal-like dribbling that had caught the eye was used far less frequently, and his end product left plenty to be desired. Extended goalless runs gradually eroded his confidence and his influence. That said, he remains the only player in this squad capable of functioning as a genuine winger in the traditional sense — and that still counts for something. Next season, the hope is that he trusts his instincts more, and understands his own game well enough to impose it.
[ tier c ]
Kobbie mainoo (mf)
Wages: 25,000￡/w (22th)
expected: squad player
| DM |
| 1822 Min. 30MP 18Starts |
| Win Rate 63.33% |
| 89.21% Pass Accuracy 56.41% Long Ball Accuracy 4.69 Recoveries p90 0.99 Interceptions p90 |
patrick dorgu (df, mf)
Wages: 40,000￡/w (20th)
expected: squad player
| LWB, LW, RW |
| 1596 Min. 28MP 17Starts |
| Win Rate 42.86% |
| PL 4 Goals 4 Assists 28.21% Dribbles 76.04% Pass Accuracy 26.32% Cross Accuracy |
ayden heaven (DF)
Wages: 25,000￡/w (22th)
expected: squad player
| CB |
| 1002 Min. 18MP 12Starts |
| Win Rate 50% |
| 1.35 Conceded p90 59.09% Tackles Won 0.09 Interceptions p90 68.75% Duels Won |
noussair mazraoui (DF)
Wages: 135,000￡/w (10th)
expected: rotation player
| RB, RWB, CB |
| 1022 Min. 20MP 11Starts |
| Win Rate 60% |
| 57.14% Tackles Won 1.23 Interceptions p90 4.05 Recoveries p90 3 Dribbles Past |
leny yoro (df)
Wages: 115,000￡/w (14th)
expected: rotation player
| CB |
| 1838 Min. 33MP 19Starts |
| Win Rate 45.45% |
| 1.62 Conceded p90 65.63% Tackles Won 1.52 Interceptions p90 56.08% Duels Won |
- Kobbie Mainoo — “The Heir to the Throne”
- He came within a whisker of being let go under Amorim, which makes what followed all the more remarkable. From Gameweek 33 against Chelsea, Mainoo began showing genuine quality as a deep-lying playmaker — and by the Liverpool fixture in Gameweek 35, the step up was undeniable. He has staked a very clear claim to one of the two midfield spots that will define United’s engine room for the next fifteen years. The performances in the final weeks bordered on S-tier, but the late arrival of that form — and his marginalisation under Amorim — made anything above C difficult to justify.
- Patrick Dorgu — “Next Season: Ballon d’Orgu”
- Signed by Amorim to operate as a left wing-back, he struggled in a role that demanded more of a wide forward than a traditional full-back, and things got bad enough that Dalot was moved across to cover. Then came the Manchester City and Arsenal fixtures under Carrick — performances so electric they genuinely stopped people in their tracks. Injury then took him out of contention for a significant stretch, before he returned to start the final day and provide the assist for Fernandes’ record-breaking 21st of the season. A tale of two halves: underwhelming under Amorim, outstanding under Carrick — but the sample size on the positive side was too small to go higher than C.
- Ayden Heaven — “The Heir to Licha”
- Young, inexperienced, and given limited opportunities — but when those opportunities came in the second half of the season, he took them with enough composure to suggest he is capable of stepping into Lisandro Martínez’s shoes in time. The rawness is evident and expected, but his physical attributes and defensive instincts hint at a ceiling that is well worth being excited about.
- Noussair Mazraoui — “Just Stay on the Pitch.”
- A player who had been one of the standout performers in the back three the previous season, Mazraoui was badly disrupted by a pre-season injury that knocked his form off course — and the Africa Cup of Nations did little to help his recovery. His overall profile is comparable to Dalot’s, with a more defensive orientation. Insufficient minutes and a wage that demands more placed him in the C tier.
- Leny Yoro — “Take the Time You Need”
- He had displaced Maguire and established himself as the first-choice right-sided centre-back before Gameweek 13 against Crystal Palace, when things fell apart spectacularly. From that point, something seemed to shift — the confidence drained, and neither his strengths nor his composure were consistently visible again. Time away from the pitch should allow him to reset, and the hope is that he comes back next season ready to compete with Heaven for a starting berth. The horror show looms large in the memory, but the performances before it were solid enough to keep him out of D.
[ tier d ]
altay bayindir (gk)
Wages: 35,000￡/w (21th)
expected: second gk
| GK |
| 540 Min. 6MP 6Starts |
| Win Rate 33.33% |
| PL 0 Clean Sheets 11 Conceded 2.2(54%) Saves p90 -0.84 Goals Prevented |
matthijs de ligt (df)
Wages: 195,000￡/w (3rd)
expected: key player
| CB |
| 1215 Min. 14MP 13Starts |
| Win Rate 42.86% |
| 1.48 Conceded p90 68.42% Tackles Won 1.11 Interceptions p90 62.71% Duels Won |
lisandro martinez (df)
Wages: 120,000￡/w (11th)
expected: rotation player
| CB |
| 1316 Min. 19MP 14Starts |
| Win Rate 42.11% |
| 1.03 Conceded p90 63.16% Tackles Won 0.82 Interceptions p90 65.28% Duels Won |
mason mount (mf)
Wages: 150,000￡/w (7th)
expected: regular starter
| AM, DM |
| 1106 Min. 25MP 13Starts |
| Win Rate 48% |
| 1 Big Chances Created 14 Key Passes 146 Acc. Final Third Passes 81.59% Pass Accuracy |
- Altay Bayındır — “Time to Leave”
- Given his chance when Onana’s form collapsed, he failed to take it. His wage reflects his status as a backup goalkeeper, but even by the standards of a reliable second choice, the performances raised too many questions. When you compare him to the Sergio Romeros and Dean Hendersons who have held that role before him — or to someone like Caoimhín Kelleher at Liverpool — he looks closer to a third-choice option. Radek Vítek, who has caught the eye in the Championship, seems the more sensible option going forward.
- Matthijs de Ligt — “Complete Defender… When He’s Actually Playing”
- There is little doubt that de Ligt is the best pure defender at this club, and his wage reflects what the club expected of him when he arrived. But expectation and reality diverged sharply this season. Injury wiped out a huge portion of his campaign, and what was initially hoped to be a swift return turned into a season-ending absence — with surgery delayed in a way that raises further uncertainty about when he will be back to full fitness. The first half of the season, when he was available, was genuinely impressive. The rest was an extended absence. D was unavoidable.
- Lisandro Martínez — “No Longer First Choice”
- The ability is not in question. But a combination of long-term injury and a recurring disciplinary problem — needless fouls, red cards that damage the team on the day and beyond — has made it increasingly difficult to view him as a reliable starter. He showed against Erling Haaland in the City fixture that, when right, he remains a formidable defender. But the standard after returning from suspension did not match what came before. With Mainoo growing into the build-up role and Heaven emerging as a genuine option, the question of whether Martínez — who has shown vulnerability in the air and in physical duels — should still be considered first choice is a legitimate one. His wage offers some mitigation, but the red card record keeps him behind de Ligt within the tier.
- Mason Mount — “Ask Shaw for His Physio’s Number”
- There is nothing wrong with Mount as a footballer or as a person — the ability is real, the attitude is exemplary, the character is not in doubt. But injury keeps getting in the way, and the cycle has become almost predictable: a decent run of games, a glimpse of what he can offer, then another setback and another stretch on the sidelines. When he plays, he contributes in ways that are uniquely his. The hope never quite dies. But assessed purely on minutes played and output delivered across the season, D is the honest grade.
[ tier f ]
tyrell malacia (DF)
Wages: 75,000￡/w (17th)
expected: squad player
| LWB, LB |
| 32 Min. 3 MP 0 Starts |
| Win Rate 33.33% |
| 33.33% Tackles Won 0 Interceptions 3 Recoveries 0 Dribbles Past |
joshua zirkzee (fw)
Wages: 105,000￡/w (15th)
expected: rotation player
| ST |
| 702 Min. 26MP 5Starts |
| Win Rate 46.15% |
| PL 2 Goals 1 Assists 1 Opening Goals 1 Equalizers 0 Winning Goals |
manuel ugarte (mf)
Wages: 120,000￡/w (11th)
expected: rotation player
| DM |
| 1024 Min. 24MP 10Starts |
| Win Rate 37.5% |
| 85.06% Pass Accuracy 48.15% Long Ball Accuracy 1.41 Recoveries p90 1.76 Interceptions p90 |
- Tyrell Malacia — “Thanks for Everything. Don’t Go Too Far.”
- Under normal circumstances, his playing time would have been too limited to warrant inclusion on this list. The reason he is here is William Osula’s wonder goal at Newcastle — and Malacia’s role in allowing it. Bad luck has followed him through his injury and recovery process, and that deserves some acknowledgement. But when he was available, he was not good enough. He leaves as a free agent, and the hope is that wherever he goes next, his body holds up better than it did here.
- Joshua Zirkzee — “Not the Right Fit for United”
- Injuries have not been a major issue — he made enough appearances — but his playing style imposed a ceiling of just 702 minutes on the pitch. Despite standing close to 190cm, he offers little in the way of hold-up play or aerial presence, and pace has never been part of his game. He is arguably the only player to have failed under both Amorim and Carrick. The one-touch link play that had been his calling card deteriorated badly in the second half of the season, leaving very little to point to as a strength. Slow, disengaged, and now stripped even of his best attribute — whether United can find a buyer at all is a legitimate concern.
- Manuel Ugarte — “PSG Knew Exactly What They Were Doing”
- The version of Manuel Ugarte who hoovers up possession and dominates midfield with relentless energy never arrived at Old Trafford. He was more functional under Ten Hag, but his level has declined steadily since — to the point where even Amorim, who had coached him previously, could not get anything consistent out of him. Under Carrick, his starts produced some of the worst individual performances of the season, and across the full campaign he was responsible for more defensive errors leading to goals than any other player in the squad. In the final league game, he could not even displace youth-team player Tyler Fletcher from the starting eleven. A damning summary.
[ Final tier list ]
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