The English window closed at 23:00 BST on Tuesday. UEFA's List A deadline is 23:59 CET today, and anyone not on the sheet cannot play in the league phase at all.
Manchester United signed three midfielders this summer and filled neither of the two positions Michael Carrick was asked about all window. The English transfer window closed at 23:00 BST on Tuesday 1 September. The one that decides the autumn closes tonight.
UEFA's Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 set the List A deadline at 23:59 CET on 2 September 2026, covering every match from the first in the league phase up to and including the final. Twenty-five players maximum. At least two goalkeepers. Eight locally trained, of whom no more than four may be association-trained rather than club-trained. A player signed after 1 September is ineligible for the whole league phase, so tonight's sheet is the squad until the winter window opens.
The three arrivals are all registerable and all midfielders. Carlos Baleba came from Brighton and Hove Albion for 65 million pounds guaranteed plus 5 million in add-ons on a five-year deal, per Sky Sports News on 25 August and ESPN. Andrey Santos came from Chelsea in July for a fee ESPN put in the region of 48 million pounds plus a further 2 million. Youri Tielemans came from Aston Villa for 35 million, the figure that triggered a release clause in his contract. The Manchester Evening News, in Jack Flintham's 2 September piece, puts the whole summer outlay at 152 million pounds and notes that Cristian Orozco arrived for an undisclosed fee with compensation still owed to Swansea City for goalkeeper Kit Margetson.
Neither of the two stated priorities landed. Ben Jacobs reported on 1 September that Manchester United enquired about Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri after a third party offered him, and that talks ended because City would only move him with an obligation to buy attached. Jacobs also reported advanced talks for Leicester City's Louis Page, around 15 million pounds, collapsing. Both stand as REPORTED on a single named reporter.
The forward line is where the window doubles back on itself. Joshua Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford and Manuel Ugarte all stayed. Fabrizio Romano reported on 30 August that Zirkzee himself turned down Fiorentina's 5 million euro loan carrying a 30 million euro option, and on 1 September that Manchester United rejected an Everton loan on deadline day; Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic gave the club's stated reason as not enough time to source a replacement. Samuel Luckhurst, now at The Sun, wrote on 1 September that the failure to move Rashford or Zirkzee has effectively blocked a new forward coming in. That is one named correspondent drawing a causal line, not a club statement.
For scale, the Manchester Evening News has newly promoted Ipswich Town spending 171 million pounds against Manchester United's 152 million. Ipswich Town then lost 5-2 at Old Trafford on 30 August, which is either a rebuttal or beside the point depending on which half of the season is being argued about.
Manchester United are tenth after two matches, beaten 2-0 at Hull City on 22 August and 5-2 winners over Ipswich Town on 30 August. Everton away on Sunday 6 September, then Sabah of Baku at Old Trafford on Thursday 10 September for matchday one of the league phase, then Manchester City at home on Sunday 13 September. The list goes in tonight and nothing arrives after it.
Sources: UEFA, Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27, Article 31 (the 23:59 CET 2 September List A deadline and the squad composition rules); Sky Sports News, 25 August 2026, and ESPN (Carlos Baleba, 65 million plus 5 million, five years); ESPN, 13 July 2026 (Andrey Santos, in the region of 48 million plus 2 million); Sky Sports and ESPN (Youri Tielemans, 35 million release clause); Manchester Evening News, Jack Flintham, 2 September 2026 (the 152 million total, the Orozco and Margetson caveats, the Ipswich Town comparison); Ben Jacobs, GiveMeSport, 1 September 2026 (Rayan Ait-Nouri and Louis Page); Fabrizio Romano, 30 August and 1 September 2026 (the Fiorentina structure, the Everton rejection); Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 1 September 2026 (the club's stated reason); Samuel Luckhurst, The Sun, 1 September 2026 (the blocked forward); Sky Sports, 23 August 2026, and NBC Sports, 22 August 2026 (Hull City 2 Manchester United 0); ESPN and NBC Sports (Manchester United 5 Ipswich Town 2); ESPN standings and Goal.com, 21 August 2026 (league position and September fixture dates).