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Casemiro endured many ups and downs during his career at Old Trafford, but ended last season before his departure as one of United's most influential players. As such, his absence highlighted the priority area for Michael Carrick and Co. to address in the transfer window. New arrivals in the engine room Carlos Baleba certainly offers the industrious aggression that Casemiro did during his tenure, as well as raw athleticism and the ability to break the lines. Many feel his £70m price tag shows that, at least initially, he's likely to be in the team week to week. Likewise, Youri Tielemans' vision and technical ability sees the potential for linkup with Bruno Fernandes and other forward players present itself, making him a potential mainstay. However, Kobbie Mainoo's resurgence under Michael Carrick has seen him become a vital part of the United engine room, as well as having sublime control in close quarters. In fact, Manchester United fans have coined a song with the lyrics 'Mainoo, United can't play without you' to the tune of Billy Ocean's 'Love Really Hurts Without You'. Add to that the energetic presence of Andrey Santos, who signed for the far from insignificant fee of £50m, and all of a sudden the United boss has a potential conundrum on his hands. Everton the first test With the window now closed, Sunday's game against Everton will be the first showcase of Michael Carrick's management of the group between now and January, although new signing Baleba is still missing with an ankle injury. When asked about juggling the midfield options, Carrick responded: "We're not just putting a squad together for one game on Sunday, we need a squad that is going to take us through the whole season." Much of the discussion has been directed towards whether Carrick will change up the midfield on a game-by-game basis, pertaining his pairing to the necessities of each individual game. "To have them options, sometimes it's to change in-game, sometimes it's maybe game to game, and sometimes you play every three or four days," the United boss stated. Rotation and the Champions League Whilst Carrick was magnanimous with his response with regards to which personnel will play which role, it is clear that with Champions League football to contend with, United need the ability to rotate all over the pitch, nowhere more so than at the heart of the midfield. Whether there will be a 'preferred pairing' that presents itself across the season remains to be seen. Whoever is left on the bench for any particular game, there will be a particular discourse circulating in the media and online. One thing is for certain: there will be plenty of minutes for all four senior midfield options this season, and all will be called upon again to recapture top four/five and make a real indent into the Champions League.