Reds can’t afford to waste time in summer shopping
“I DON’T want attacking players so don’t speak about attacking players that are coming here because nobody is coming here.”
For the second press conference in six days, Jose Mourinho dropped a huge summer transfer bombshell and delivered another vote of confidence to his forwards. You got the feeling he meant it, too.
Mourinho’s priorities seemingly lie elsewhere this summer, following Alexis Sanchez’s arrival, and United desperately need to replace outgoing skipper Michael Carrick. You could argue they also need more than one new midfielder – even if Marouane Fellaini signs a new deal.
The Portuguese has said this summer window’s will be ‘short’ and Sanchez’s signing has spared him a huge headache after landing that marquee forward he long coveted.
To have that deal sorted is a huge bonus although, obviously, United would also benefit from landing a Bale or a Griezmann or a Dybala in the summer. If it was that easy.
When Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes, too, United will be a little light up top and will continue to rely on Romelu Lukaku’s aching limbs for 50-plus starts a season, which seems a little risky to say the least.
But Mourinho’s eyes are now firmly on getting the most out of what he has got up front and that sends the right message to his forwards as he has to make every penny count in the summer when City, inevitably, outspend United again.
With Sanchez, Mourinho now feels his attack is complete and it is not that outlandish a statement. Anthony Martial, the form player of this year, might not even get his place back on his favoured left flank at this rate.
There is an element of putting all your eggs in one basket, in principally targeting a certain position, but Mourinho will have a Plan A, B and C in mind when he hands over his midfield wishlist to Ed Woodward in the spring.
It was a similar tactic with Lukaku when United prioritised signing a No.9 last summer following Ibrahimovic’s knee injury and it paid off before Woodward turned his attention to Paul Pogba’s foil.
Having shortlisted proven Premier League experience in both Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic for that crucial defensive midfield role last summer, Mourinho may feel that is not a prerequisite this time around and that he can look further afield to Spain, France, Italy, Germany and beyond.
With Matic holding the fort, another top central midfielder gives Mourinho the flexibility to play his favoured 4-3-3 formation which, of course, has gotten the best out of Pogba.
And while United are unlikely to be dragged into a Pogba-like saga again this summer, well not on Instagram at least, it will not be easy to get a deal over the line before the start of pre-season.
Mourinho is looking at a 17-day window between July 15 and August 1 to return to his favoured facility at the UCLA and will want his business done by the time his depleted squad board their plane at Manchester Airport for the US trip.
That is not a straightforward task in a ‘normal’ window – Matic was not signed until July 31 last summer – let alone when you have to factor in the World Cup and the new Premier League transfer window deadline.
United have until 5pm on Thursday, August 9 to sign players next summer after 14 of the 20 clubs in the top-flight voted to bring in the landmark measure last September.
In contrast to club chiefs, Mourinho was in favour of the new deadline. Time will tell whether it actually speeds things up and gives him the midfielder he desires.