Now could be the perfect time for a raid on Atletico
mentality to the younger ones’ and precocious teenager Mason Greenwood already appears to have picked it up.
The 18-year-old forward has scored 17 senior goals since winning a spot in Solskjaer’s team midway through the campaign and he’s been helped by Fernandes, whose January arrival sparked United into an upturn in form.
“I think Mason has done a great season, of course,” the Portuguese said.
IT almost felt like the end of an era as Atletico Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League on Thursday night.
A deflected late strike from Tyler Adams saw RB Leipzig move into the last four as the club owned by an energy drink company set up a semifinal tie against PSG - owned by the state of Qatar.
Welcome to football in 2020.
It only further highlighted the growing change in club football, and defeat for Atletico cast doubt over the long-term project for the likeable Spanish side.
Under the guidance of Diego Simeone they have become one of the most impressive teams in Europe, but defeat in a game which seemed so winnable might bring great change along with it, and United could prosper as a result.
Transfer gossip columns continue to overflow with Jadon Sancho updates and the plethora of alternatives available should the Reds fail to agree terms with Dortmund over a summer move, but right wing isn’t the only area which is in need of improvement.
United’s resurgent form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw them shine after establishing their best XI in the run-in, with a midfield trio of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes providing the ideal balance to combat almost any opposition.
However, problems tended to arise whenever any of the preferred trio dropped out of the starting line-up, and it is a big concern going into next season.
It is likely United will be playing two games a week for the majority of the next campaign amid such a packed fixture schedule and Solskjaer will be put to the test in terms of squad
Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey would be ideal to boost United’s ranks
rotation. Such a dilemma has led to plenty of calls for a new attacking midfielder to ease the burden on Pogba and Fernandes, but there is argument to suggest cover for Matic is the more pressing matter.
In recent weeks both Fred and Scott McTominay have struggled to offer the same level of defensive protection as Matic when deployed as holding midfielders, with neither a specialist in the role.
Instead there is fair argument to suggest a new defensive-minded midfielder is needed, and at Atletico there are options in both Saul Niguez and Thomas Partey. Partey is the more defensive-minded of the two but Saul, while not explicitly a holding midfielder by trade, routinely operates in central midfield and would be an upgrade on the Reds’ back-up options.
After a second successive trophyless season the pair might now be keen to seek a new challenge following failure to progress in the Champions League, and a move to United this summer would provide them with the platform to be at the heart of a project which is gaining pace, rather than resuscitating one which has lost momentum.