The winds of change will be blowing across Manchester United this summer. Following Erik ten Hag’s arrival from Ajax, a major shake-up can be expected at Old Trafford, with United looking to bounce back after last season’s catastrophic sixth-place finish.
There has already been a lot of movement out of Manchester this summer, with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard leaving the club after the expiration of their contracts. These five departures open room in the wage bill and squad for more incomings, and the Red Devils are going to need every penny they can get their hands on to fund their summer rebuild.
While there are plenty of fires to be put out in the Manchester United squad at the moment, a new goalkeeper, striker, and central midfield are the primary areas of concern, and here are three signings the Red Devils should make in the 2022 transfer window.
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Club: Brighton and Hove Albion
Value: £14 million
David de Gea is currently the longest-serving member in the current United squad, but after a rocky 11-year spell at Old Trafford, it might finally be time to move on from the shot-stopper and replace him with another Spaniard. While de Gea is an excellent traditional goalkeeper for a team that faces plenty of shots and doesn’t dominate the ball, his effectiveness decreases when playing for a possession-heavy side which requires the goalkeeper to play out from the back, command the box and make 1-2 key saves throughout the 90 minutes.
Considering the latter is what Erik ten Hag’s United are expected to be, United need a goalkeeper that suits the Dutchman’s style of play, and the perfect player for that role is Robert Sanchez. The Brighton goalkeeper burst on the scenes in the 2020/21 season for the Seagulls and has emerged as one of the best modern keepers in Europe with his ability on the ball, presence in the box, and brilliant shot-stopping. The Spaniard saved 72% of the shots he faced last season and stops an incredible 11% of the crosses played into the penalty area, compared to just 3% by de Gea.
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Club: West Ham United
Value: £72 million
Signing an elite central defensive midfielder should be the number one priority for Manchester United this summer to balance the squad and bring out the best from the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Bruno Fernandes. With Aurelien Tchouameni and Yves Bissouma already changing clubs this summer, the CDM transfer market in 2022 is growing thinner by the week. United need to act fast before they are left without any quality options to plug a massive hole in their squad, and the one player the Red Devils should go all out for is Declan Rice.
Rice has been one of the best central midfielders in the country over the past three seasons, already making over 150 league appearances at age 23. Although he doesn’t offer much in possession in terms of his passing, Rice is incredibly gifted as a ball-carrier and thrives while screening the defence and looking to break up attacks by spotting danger.
The major stumbling block with Rice is the cost and West Ham’s unwillingness to sell. With three years left on his contract, it would take a bid upwards of £100 million to tempt the Hammers from parting with their crown jewel, and the Red Devils may be forced to overpay for an Englishman once again to solve the plaguing issue in their squad. The other alternatives United can target in this position are Kalvin Phillips and Wilfred Ndidi or look to make Chelsea a tempting bid for the ageing N’Golo Kante as a stop-gap option for a season or two.
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Club: AS Roma
Value: £45 million
Manchester United’s only starting centre forward for the 2022/23 season is a 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. Edinson Cavani has departed, Marcus Rashford is a winger, no one is really sure what Anthony Martial is anymore, and Mason Greenwood should never play for the club again. The 20-time league champions desperately need some additional firepower up front, and luckily, there are enough quality options in the transfer market that suit United’s needs.
To suit Erik ten Hag’s style of play, United need a striker willing to press, run the channels, link the play and offer great movement in the box. It is difficult to find many forwards on the market which such a skill set, but one player that United could look at to solve their needs is Tammy Abraham. After being freed from the clutches of the Chelsea bench, Abraham thrived in his first season in Rome, finishing with 21 goals and assists in Serie A and playing a starring role in the Giallorossi’s UEFA Conference League triumph.
Abraham has also scored 26 Premier League goals in 52 starts – roughly one every two games – and has the experience needed to hit the ground running and be the talisman the Red Devils require to take them back to the top.
[Featured Image Credit: Declan Rice]
Shivaan Shah