The Manchester United rebuild is only just beginning, but in truth this has been just about as good a transfer window that we could have possibly imagined.
The sheer amount of work done to clear the decks, balance the books, and still significantly strengthen the squad despite spending restrictions and competition for players with clubs currently better positioned than ourselves has been absolutely top class.
Then when we consider that they haven’t even got their feet under the table yet. They had limited time with the right people in place to plan for this summer.
You just know that when the window slams shut that they will start planning for next summer. They will have 10 months to assess the squad, scout players, shortlist targets, speak with agents and get things lined up, plan departures, consider pathways for academy players (be that well considered loans or clearing a path into the first team squad) .
I’m backing the manager to succeed, but if he doesn’t then they will also be considering succession planning for the manager and coaching team. Meaning that in the worst case scenario they are well prepared to navigate it without making rash decisions. They won’t be sacking a manager then scrambling around for an interim manager while they just start the process of assessing long term options.
They will already be assessing other managerial candidates, keeping tabs on them and building up profiles.
I don’t think RvN was hired with the thought of him being an interim manager down the line. But him along with Rene Hake have both been managers in their own right and either of them would be well placed to step in on a short term basis if needed.
In terms of the squad there are still clear areas of weakness that need addressing.
In defence left back is an obvious one, Shaw’s injuries and age mean he needs replacing sooner rather than later, while Malacia hasn’t shown himself to be good enough to be a genuine starter. Young Harry Amass looks promising, but he might be a few years away from being good enough to be a regular starter, and that’s only if he makes good on his potential.
Left sided CB is another area that could do with strengthening, Martinez has the position locked down when fit. But he’s had a fair amount of time out injured while with us. Maybe that is the exception, or maybe his all action style of play in a physical league might be too much for his body. Either way we need quality back up at the very least, maybe with potential to be a regular starter.
So I think there is some work on the left hand side of the defence left to sort out. While depending on how Mazraoui does with injuries we may want to look at a young RB in the next 2-3 summer windows.
In midfield even with Ugarte there is still a lot of work to be done.
Mainoo is still the only one I think has a definite long term future at the club. Ugarte hasn’t signed yet, and even when he does there is no guarantee that he will prove to be good enough.
Casemiro maybe has one more season in him. Mount has it all to prove, he has the ability, but he doesn’t have an obvious starting spot in the team. Bruno will be here for 2 maybe 3 more season’s I expect before he leaves. I would hope that the team evolves over the next couple of season’s to become less reliant on him for creativity, making him less vital to the side. Then we have young Collyer, I have high hopes for him, but there are no guarantees. He doesn’t have the same level of ability as Mainoo, but he does have skills we need and could prove to be a really good squad player, maybe more. But that’s if he fulfils his potential.
Other options such as Hannibal, Gore, McTominay and Eriksen will all leave either this summer or next.
So assuming Bruno and Mount prove enough for the next few years at No.10, with Mainoo and Ugarte being first choice in the pivot. With maybe Collyer as the only back up. We will need at least one if not two more midfields to give us 4 or 5 options for those two starting spots.
In the forward line we have Garnacho and Højlund who look pretty set for a long term stay at the club. While Zirkzee should also be a good option if he adapts to the league. finally we have Amad who has shown glimpses of what he can do in his cameos and during pre-season. Yet he hasn’t yet been able to show that consistently in the first team. I was slightly disappointed with his performance against Fulham, bright in spells, but not able to make a difference. Garnacho is still ahead of him despite being two years younger. We then come to Rashford, possibly the most devisive player in our squad right now. On form he is one of the best forwards in the league, but he hasn’t been able to show that form consistently for one reason or another. If he can get back to his best form then he’s an asset and should be a regular starter. However, if he drops behind the likes of Garnacho and Amad then he’s not really suitable as a squad option due to his wages and position within the club.
With Pellistri leaving and with Sancho and Antony likely to follow either this summer or next then we clearly need at least one more forward, maybe two if Rashford ends up leaving.
That I think covers the gaps in the squad currently, however, there are positions/ players who either have something to prove or who need to step up. Onana had a mixed first season, he has it all to prove this year. Mount also has it all to prove. Dalot needs to build on a good last season this year. Amad has it all to prove. Rashford needs to find his best form. Young players like Amass, Mainoo, Collyer, Garnacho and Højlund need to continue to develop, currently they’ve shown promise and some have had great performances. They need to continue to improve, have a bigger impact and bring a level of consistency to their performances. While the new signings look promising but any or even all of them could flop or fail to live up to expectations.
It’s unlikely that all of those 14 players will ultimately prove good/ effective enough for us and may need replacing in the squad.
So assuming at least 2 maybe 3 of them will need replacing, along with the 5 signings (LCB, LB, CDM, CM, forward) still needed to fill the gaps in the squad, you can easily see why this will take at least one most likely two more summer transfer windows to complete. While many of the younger players in the squad are at least 3 years away from starting to hit their peak.
This season we should be aiming for the best finish possible, 4th/5th is realistic I think. With next season we should be pushing for a 2nd/3rd place finish, before really challenging for the title in the 2026/27 season.
It’s not a quick process, but I think the work done this summer has laid the foundations needed to really start to build from this point. If we continue over the next couple of years in the same vein then I’m confident that we can get back to challenging for major honours in 3-4 years time.
Written by Shappy August 22 2024 12:49:29
