Manchester United is so slow! Ederson is 27 and still not officially signed, and Carrick has no defensive midfielder for the first three pre-season friendlies.

Manchester United's slow transfer window has drawn much criticism, and this summer is no different. They are the only Premier League big-six club that has not yet made any official new signing, completely opposite to the "busiest ever" narrative promoted before the window opened. Ederson, the Atalanta midfielder who was said to be the Red Devils' first signing agreed before the World Cup, still hasn't had his arrival confirmed days after Brazil's exit. Interestingly, during this time, the midfielder celebrated his 27th birthday.

Ederson was born on July 7, 1993, and turned 27 on Tuesday. However, he remains an Atalanta player for now. According to Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester United correspondent for The Sun, Ederson's transfer is expected to be completed "in the coming days."

Unlike rivals Tottenham, who completed deals worth £185 million for Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in just one week with lightning speed, Manchester United's recruitment has been so stagnant that manager Michael Carrick may have no experienced defensive midfielder for half of the six pre-season friendlies.

When Manchester United reconvened on Thursday, the only experienced midfielder available was Mason Mount, who did occasionally play as a defensive midfielder at the end of last season but is primarily an attacking midfielder. Moreover, the only experienced defensive midfielders on United's roster are Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte.

Both are absent from training due to World Cup participation. Mainoo's England team has reached the quarter-finals and will continue their campaign, even though he hasn't played a single minute. Ugarte's Uruguay were eliminated early, but he suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee and is likely ruled out for the entire next season.

Carrick has had to turn to academy players. Toby Collyer and Dan Gore have both made first-team appearances, but they were loaned to the Championship and League One respectively last season and are not yet ready for Premier League level. The first defensive midfielder to join United's pre-season training will be 19-year-old Scottish international Taylor Fletcher.

Before the World Cup, he was called up as a replacement for injured teammate Gilmour and unexpectedly made it onto Scotland's 26-man squad. He didn't play any minutes either, but still requires a mandatory three-week break after the tournament. Scotland's last World Cup match was a 3-0 loss to Brazil on June 24.

Therefore, Taylor Fletcher is expected to report to Carrington on July 15, by which time United will not have played their first pre-season friendly. Of course, players don't start matches immediately after returning; they usually need at least a week of training. Young Fletcher was the only academy player to whom Carrick gave a debut last season, and he may get more chances in the new season given the severe shortage of defensive midfield options.

Four Manchester United players are in teams that reached the World Cup quarter-finals, including Mainoo, the only fit senior defensive midfielder. Along with Rashford, Mazraoui, Sena Lammers, and Lisandro Martinez, they are not expected back until August, depending on which teams make the semi-finals.

Estimated return dates for Manchester United's World Cup players: Taylor Fletcher (July 15), Altay Bayındır (July 16), Amad Diallo (July 21), Cunha (July 26), Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot (July 27), Mazraoui (after August, TBC), Rashford and Mainoo (after August, TBC), Lammers (after August, TBC), Lisandro Martínez (after August, TBC), Ugarte (season-ending injury).