Article 45 — Assessment of 2019–20 Manchester United Squad
Today I would look at the present Manchester United squad and share my thoughts looking into the future in terms of the transfer market.
I don’t think we need to strengthen the goalkeeping department with David De Gea, Sergio Romero and Lee Grant in our roster. We have got Dean Henderson impressing out on loan at Sheffield United too.
At the moment, I can’t see us selling any one of the three we have and I don’t think Henderson would find space at the moment in the first team if he returns. I can’t see Henderson agreeing to be De Gea’s understudy having played as a first-choice goalkeeper for Sheffield United. United would take a big risk in selling De Gea and putting their faith on Henderson. De Gea’s form might have been shaky after his participation at Russia 2018 but is still a world-class goalkeeper. I doubt there would be much change in this department. Henderson might either leave permanently or on loan again.
At right-back, we have got Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot. Both players are young and can still develop further. Wan Bissaka has been colossal in defence but needs to work on his attacking play. Dalot has been injured for most of the season but based on last season, he looks better in attack than in defence. If there is a right-back we need to buy, it would be someone in his 30s with experience as an understudy for Wan-Bissaka and Dalot and for them to learn off.
At centre-back, I feel the best pairing we have is of Eric Bailly and Harry Maguire but Ole Gunnar Solksjaer prefers Victor Lindelof and Maguire. Bailly needs to stay fit, Lindelof is good enough to have in the squad and Maguire has got better as the season has progressed. We have not seen much of Axel Tuanzebe who did well on loan in the previous season at Aston Villa. He needs to be kept injury-free and I would like to see him play more before I pass judgement on him as a player. Phil Jones’ time at the club should be up at the end of this season. I like Marcos Rojo’s tenacious style but I don’t think there is much space for him in the first team now. I can’t see United signing a centre-back unless they are really ruthless to sign a top-class centre-back like Kalidou Koulibaly to add competition in this area.
Chris Smalling’s time at the club should also be up after his loan spell at Roma. I expect Roma to convert the deal into a permanent deal. If not Roma, he would move to a club where he can get first-team football. With Lindelof, Maguire, Bailly and Tuanzebe ahead of him in the pecking order, I doubt there would be space for him even if we do sell Jones and Rojo.
At left-back, Luke Shaw has looked good. He has surprised me by how well he has done at left centre back too when we play with a back three. Brandon Williams has been a revelation but is not the finished article yet. He needs to keep developing. I can’t see us signing a left-back with Shaw and Williams around. Again if an opportunity arises, it might be worth signing an experienced full-back in his 30s that can play on either right or left-back for our young full-backs to learn from.
We had Ashley Young who could do that but he was not a natural full-back, he converted into one. I would prefer someone who has played as a full-back all his career, a specialist in his position. If there is such a player that fits the bill and available to sign even if it’s for a short-term deal.
In centre midfield, Scott McTominay has been our best player so far this season. He has been the most consistent player and is developing into a very good midfielder. He still needs to develop his game further given his age but the future looks promising. Fred has done well this season relishing the opportunity given to him due to the long absence of Paul Pogba and the lack of depth in this department. Nemanja Matic started the season slowly but looks more like the player I feel we needed, an experienced, calm head to steady the ship in centre midfield.
Paul Pogba has been missed but there are question marks on whether his head and heart are with United. Thanks to his agent, there is always a possibility that he might be moved on in the upcoming transfer window. In terms of ambition, if United continue to struggle to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League, it is only logical that Pogba would look to leave to join a club where he can win the Champions League, a trophy that is missing from his trophy cabinet. If he stays, we would have a world-class player with us if we properly utilise him and he has his head and heart in the right place.
Bruno Fernandes has brought much-needed creativity to our centre midfield position. It has looked good with him around and the prospects are mouth-watering of a link-up with Pogba. I would like to see how they actually do on the pitch which is where the real litmus test lies. Andreas Pereira is a player that I was really interested to see in our first team after hearing a lot of him in our youth teams. He got the opportunity at a sustained run in the first team this season and has not impressed me at all. I now understand why the other managers never really rated him. I feel he needs to be sold.
I feel we need to sign a box-to-box midfielder. I am not really sure if there are many or any around that can fulfil that role today especially since the tactical evolution to clearly defined roles of central midfielders. We have not signed anyone to replace Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera. We need to sign at least one, maximum of two central midfielders. One that is box-to-box and another that can be a deep-lying playmaker. If Pogba goes, a candidate that I really like is Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton Wanderers. If he doesn’t, then the deep-lying playmaker should be someone young that can take his time in developing while learning from older, more senior players. The box-to-box player should be someone that is established in his mid-20s with still some scope for development.
Jesse Lingard’s form has been disappointing. Normally, he is able to either pop up with goals especially in big matches or provide assists. He is known for his busy style of play, hassling and harrying opponents on the ball, closing down fast and for playing with a lot of energy. All of that has been missing in his game. We see him running around but he has had no impact at all on the play. I like him and his versatility of playing from either flank or centrally behind the striker. I do hope that he can recover his form. There are rumours that he could be sold. I hope it is not true but if he fails to rediscover his form, then perhaps a move to somewhere new would do him some good.
Juan Mata like Matic, started the season slowly and looked like he was on the decline. Recently, he looks to have got back his form and is important to have in the squad for his experience and quality. He can play off the right and in his natural role of a playmaker. Dan James was like a house on fire when he joined us. Somewhere along the line, he looked burn out due to the lack of cover in his role. He is beginning to show better form again now but can still develop further. He gets into good positions and is speedy. He needs to work on his decision making on when to shoot and when to cross, work on the delivery of his crosses and his shot accuracy. He has a bright future if he keeps learning and developing.
Jadon Sancho has been heavily linked to join us and would operate from the right-wing if he joins us but I am not putting my hopes up. Dortmund might not want to sell, we might bid too low or the player might not want to join us. Anything can happen in transfer negotiations and this has been an area where we have performed very poorly in since Sir Alex retired. We do need a right-winger of quality whether it is Sancho or someone else to add quality and depth in this department. I do really like Adama Traore from Wolverhampton Wanderers at right-wing. I am not sure if United are monitoring him or not.
On the left flank, Marcus Rashford was performing very, very well until he got injured. Anthony Martial plays well on the left flank too. I feel Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes need to be sent out on loan as neither is ready to play in the first team yet. I would recommend that if an opportunity arises, we sign an older, experienced player on the left-wing for Rashford and Martial to learn off and to push them in their development.
I don’t see either Rashford or Martial as our lone strikers in our present formation. Perhaps playing with a traditional two-man attack might work for both. Before Rashford’s injury, it looked like a two-man attack with Rashford from the left joining Martial in the centre. It’s an unorthodox system but if it works, why break it.
Mason Greenwood has been another revelation from our youth team but to find space in the team, he has had to play from either flank which I don’t feel is his natural position. He is a natural-born striker and can only get better with age if he continues his development. With time, he could comfortably play from either flank, behind the striker or as a striker. If employed as a striker, he could drift out into one of these positions during the game to free space for others to attack from deep positions or from the wings.
Odion Ighalo is of the right age to have in our attack. He has the necessary experience and expertise to play as a lone striker for Rashford, Martial and Greenwood to learn off. The question now remains on whether United would sign him permanently or let him leave after his loan spell is over. If they don’t sign him permanently, depending on how advanced Rashford, Martial and Greenwood are in their development, we might still need to sign an orthodox out-and-out striker. It’s ok if we don’t sign Timo Werner. I really like Raul Jimenez also from Wolves if we need to sign an orthodox striker.
I forgot about this man, Alexis Sanchez. Solksjaer has said that he would return at the end of his loan spell and there are rumours that Inter wants to keep him on loan for longer. Ideally, he would fit the profile of the player that I would want us to have in the squad, an experienced player with quality for the young ones to learn off. However, I doubt he would be happy to just be a bit-part player/unofficial coach. Personally, I doubt he would return to United, another loan spell at Inter perhaps or he would be sold permanently. If he does return and is retained, let’s see what role he plays.
At the end of the day, there needs to be creativity and quality to constantly create chances and the quality to finish the chances that are created. There needs to be competition in the squad to push one another to do better. The needs to be healthy rivalry to get the best out of the players individually and to push each other to further develop as players. The club cannot be afraid of increasing competition for places out of the fear of limiting the opportunity for the emergence of a youth player from the ranks. If a player is good enough, he will find space in the first-team.
I really like the work done at Wolves in terms of identifying the right players to sign and then piecing them together to form a really good team. Leicester City is another team that has done well in this aspect. Liverpool, as we know, has progressively got better and deserve credit for their systematic approach. There are also clubs like Red Bull Salzburg and other smaller-name clubs in Europe who have scouted players from all over the world and developed them into really good players and forming a really good team that can give bigger name teams in Europe a run for their money.
I can’t understand why a club with our resources and wealth can struggle so badly in this department. It looks like Solksjaer is bringing in change but it is not quick enough. Signings that were logically needed to be made over one transfer window are being made over two transfer windows. We are behaving like a team that is in financial turmoil and have very limited funds to spend for each transfer window. I understand it is not always easy. Players might reject a move or clubs might not be willing to sell unless we offer an exorbitant fee but whatever happened to scouting for talent that can be developed. Whatever happened to the positive development of players we sign. All that is missing.
Overall, as I assess, we have a youthful squad and if the opportunity arises, we should look at some short-term measures guaranteeing quality and experience not as first-teamers but more as under-studies. These players would act as unofficial specialist coaches for the young ones. Our focus on youth should never waver but we need established players that are in their mid-20s as well that are approaching their peak. What is also of paramount importance is the constant development of the players and the consistency of the players and team to perform well, week in and week out. It’s no good doing well in big games and then flopping in the “bread and butter” games.
