You would have thought Manchester United’s nadir would have been their malaise under Ralf Rangnick to end last season – winning just three of their final 14 games in all competitions. However, United have managed to hit a new low to start the new term, with the Red Devils suffering their worst start to a league campaign in over 30 years and losing 4-0 to Brentford in their second game of the season.
Manchester United are a rudderless ship in their current state, with no footballing direction, idea, or plan at the executive level, leaving them powerless to compete with elite teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Red Devils have failed to create a coherent structure behind Erik Ten Hag to set him up for success. They struggled in their attempts to lure Frenkie de Jong but have been unable to secure another option, targeted players mainly from the Dutch market and have not identified the requisite profiles needed to fit Ten Hag’s philosophy.
United need some footballing expertise and unity in the boardroom. Luckily for them, today, I will attempt to play sporting director to fix the mess at Old Trafford in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window.
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The biggest improvement Manchester United can make this offseason is by replacing David de Gea. Not only is the Spaniard prone to frequent calamitous errors and no longer an elite shot-stopper, but he also paralyses the team with his passing.
De Gea’s inability to play from the back led to two United goals in their opening two defeats against Brighton and Brentford, and teams will continue to press the Red Devils high up the pitch to force turnovers if the Spaniard remains the number one.
With one year left on his contract and wages worth £375,000 a week, United can’t ship De Gea out this off-season, nor can they afford to buy a new number one due to the investment needed. The Spanish trio of David Raya, Unai Simon, and Robert Sanchez would all be significant upgrades over De Gea, even French shot-stopper Illan Meslier. Unfortunately, for United, none of those goalkeepers would be attainable so late in the window unless they throw up silly money.
United’s best bet is to find a capable number two option that can start for a year before playing as the backup next season behind a marquee goalkeeper signing. The options available to the Red Devils in the next two weeks are thin, but a £20 million bid for Alban Lafont may be enough to secure the French goalkeeper from Nantes, who is excellent with the ball at his feet and a reliable shot-stopper.
Liverpool, Arsenal, and City were all forced to deal with a stop-gap keeper for a season or two following Klopp, Arteta, and Guardiola’s arrival, and United may need to do the same thing this off-season.
Liverpool: Simon Mignolet > Loris Karius > Alisson
Manchester City: Joe Hart > Claudio Bravo > Ederson
Arsenal: Bernd Leno > Emi Martinez > Bernd Leno > Aaron Ramsdale
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This one is simple. Cristiano Ronaldo is a net negative to the United team. While his positive impact on the pitch is debatable, the Portuguese has created a toxic environment in the dressing room with his constant petulance and tantrums. This power struggle has made life difficult for Erik Ten Hag to stamp his authority on the team, undermining his position as manager.
Ronaldo wants to leave, and United should facilitate that, making him terminate their contract and forego large parts of the £500,000+ a week salary they owe him this season. Ronaldo’s departure will leave Manchester United short of attacking firepower, but it allows Ten Hag to cleanse the dressing room and begin to create a winning culture at the club with a mouldable group of players willing to learn.
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United should have signed two starting calibre players in these positions two seasons ago, but there is still time in the transfer window to make these moves to upgrade the squad. If money weren’t a problem, United should buy Ibrahim Sangare from PSV Eindhoven to play as the CDM and Victor Oshimen or Tammy Abraham from Serie A as their central striker. Those two signings would instantly lift the floor and ceiling of the team and also give Ten Hag the correct profiles he needs in certain positions.
However, United are unlikely to make major additions in the remaining two weeks of the window judging by their spending patterns this summer, presumably due to the lack of funds available. Nevertheless, United could go add Youri Tielemans as their central midfielder for £25 million and Ivan Toney as a striker for £40-50 million, two players that improve the squad and add some much-needed leadership and character to the dressing room.
In addition to these three backroom moves, ten Hag and United also need to make some tactical adjustments this season. The Red Devils were too naïve and open in their first two games, insisting on playing out from the back and using a 4-3-3 without the proper profiles in the squad. Ten Hag needs to adopt a more pragmatic approach to begin the campaign, while he doesn’t have the right players to play his style to help the team gain more security defensively and prioritize short-term results along with the long-term goals.
While there is pain ahead for Manchester United in the short-term, they are a club not beyond saving. All they need are some proper footballing direction and patience & conviction to stick to their plan. Those attributes have been rare to find on the red side of Manchester, but if the Red Devils want to restore their former glories, the time to take tough decisions is now.
[Featured Image Credit: Manchester United]
Shivaan Shah