The full Manchester United squad for 2026/27 by position, with ages, plus a few facts about how young, old and big the group is.
Manchester United's squad list for 2026/27 has 33 players, from teenagers on the fringes to experienced internationals. This guide groups them by position, as listed on our squad page, where you can open any player for season statistics.
Squad at a glance
33 players: 4 goalkeepers, 11 defenders, 11 midfielders and 7 forwards.
Average age: about 23.8 years.
Oldest: Tom Heaton, 39. Youngest: JJ Gabriel, 15.
Goalkeepers (4)
Senne Lammens (23), Karl Darlow (35), Tom Heaton (39) and Dermot Mee (23). Darlow joined on a free transfer from Leeds this summer.
Defenders (11)
Diogo Dalot (27), Noussair Mazraoui (28), Harry Maguire (32), Lisandro Martínez (27), Patrick Dorgu (21), Leny Yoro (20), Luke Shaw (30), Jaydan Kamason (19), Ayden Heaven (19), Harry Amass (18) and Daniel Armer (18).
Midfielders (11)
Bruno Fernandes (31), Mason Mount (26), Marcus Rashford (28), Youri Tielemans (28), Bryan Mbeumo (26), Manuel Ugarte (25), Andrey Santos (21), Carlos Baleba (21), Kobbie Mainoo (20), Jack Fletcher (18) and Tyler Fletcher (18).
Forwards (7)
Matheus Cunha (26), Joshua Zirkzee (24), Amad Diallo (23), Benjamin Šeško (22), Shea Lacey (18), T. Thompson (17) and JJ Gabriel (15).
What stands out
Summer signings: Tielemans, Andrey Santos, Baleba and Darlow all arrived this summer. Read the full picture in our transfer round-up.
Youth in the group: nine players are aged 19 or under, and Lacey is among the academy graduates featured in our academy round-up.
Positions: we use the position labels from our data source. Players who can play across the pitch, such as Rashford, may be listed differently from where they line up in a match.
Squad lists change with transfers, injuries and loans, so this guide reflects the squad as of 25 September 2026.
The age profile
Splitting the 33 players by age shows how the squad is balanced:
- 19 and under: 9 players, including Harry Amass, Daniel Armer, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Shea Lacey, T. Thompson and JJ Gabriel.
- 20 to 24: 10 players, among them Kobbie Mainoo (20), Leny Yoro (20), Carlos Baleba (21), Andrey Santos (21) and Patrick Dorgu (21).
- 25 to 29: 9 players, the peak-age group that includes Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Youri Tielemans.
- 30 and over: 5 players: Luke Shaw (30), Bruno Fernandes (31), Harry Maguire (32), Karl Darlow (35) and Tom Heaton (39).
The shape is young at the edges and experienced at the core. The experienced group is small, so injuries to a few senior players can shift the balance towards inexperience quickly, as the international break report shows.
Where the depth is, and where it isn't
- Midfield: the deepest area, with 11 players including three summer signings (Tielemans, Santos and Baleba).
- Defence: 11 players, but several are teenagers, so the dependable first-choice options are fewer than the number suggests.
- Attack: seven forwards, but Benjamin Šeško is being managed after a shin problem and JJ Gabriel is 15, so the senior options narrow quickly.
- Goalkeeper: four goalkeepers, with Lammens clearly first choice. The coaching group has just added Connor King to work with them.
How to use this guide
Open any player on our squad page for season statistics. For the players who came in this summer, see our transfer round-up, and for the academy graduates in the group, our academy guide.
Leaders and senior voices
Bruno Fernandes is the club captain, and the squad's most experienced outfield players are Harry Maguire (32), Luke Shaw (30) and Fernandes himself, who is listed at 31 in our data. Behind them the group is much younger, which makes the senior players' fitness especially important. Squad details, including ages and positions, come from our football data provider and are refreshed automatically on the squad page, so the live list may differ from this snapshot as players move or are loaned out.