Quality, not quantity, key this summer
A DEFLATING and trophyless end to United’s season should change little in their planning.
They have had a progressive 12 months as a cup team, but the competitiveness in the Premier League is bound to be more intense than at the start of last season.
Back then, Arsenal were an irrelevance, rancour persisted at Tottenham and Chelsea were hampered by a transfer ban. Now Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho have clean slates and Frank Lampard a blank chequebook.
If United do not sufficiently strengthen a squad where quantity overwhelms quality, then they risk losing their Thursday nights to the Europa League again.
The negotiations for Jadon Sancho highlight the club’s willingness to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. A priority target does not have to be the first one through the door, though. City have recruited Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake, with Kalidou Koulibaly lined up for a fee in the Van Dijk and Maguire ballpark.
David Moyes was never United manager material and that was all the more apparent when he tried to avoid making Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines his first signings as he had brought them to Everton. He half-succeeded, signing Fellaini for a fee £500,000 shy of the £28m United offered for both players.
Moyes and Woodward passed on Thiago Alcantara and wasted an inordinate amount of time on another Barcelona midfielder, Cesc Fabregas. Thiago joined Bayern Munich for £21.6m and was a starter in their merciless annihilation of his former club in Lisbon last week.
The Sancho discussions have already eaten three weeks into a 10-week transfer window.
United’s legal advisor, Patrick Stewart, was in attendance in Cologne on Monday night but there was no suggestion he engaged in talks with Dortmund during his stay. Sancho is a headline-grabber but the Reds also need fillers in the mould of Daniel James, but Premier League-proven.
Bournemouth’s David Brooks would have been a more appealing Welsh attacking option than James last year and that remains the case following his recovery from injury.
The 23-year-old’s valuation has been slashed by COVID and relegation.
He has excelled against United and would arrive with the acceptance he is a squad player.
A truncated window and Aston Villa’s survival might delay Jack Grealish’s entrance.
While he is not a right-sided specialist like Sancho, he radiates a similar aura with his fearless dribbling and has displayed impressive leadership in helping the Midland side back into the top flight and keeping them there.
Fred’s fine performance against Sevilla could be a sign of things to come with Nemanja Matic 32 and taxed by a workload of 16 Premier League starts this calendar year. The Brazilian is cut from the same cloth as compatriots Fernandinho and Fabinho and the intention to present a more modern United midfield is commendable, albeit risky after Fred was exposed by Tottenham and Copenhagen. United have an enviable midfield quintet, with Scott McTominay still a steely presence despite his peripheral role in the run-in and Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes with world-class ratings. Andreas Pereira has made more of an impact on Fortnite than the first-team in recent months, competing with Jesse Lingard to make up the numbers in the increased matchday squads of 20. Should United receive suitable offers for both, they can go. Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo have all been tagged ‘for sale.’ Smalling is the most sellable on the back of his catenaccio course in Rome whereas Jones and Rojo amassed three
David Brooks would have been a more appealing Welsh attacking option than James last year Samuel Luckhurst
league starts between them and are case studies as to why a director of football is still needed at United.
Both could have been released by now.
Rojo has started five league games since his salary was increased in March 2018. United attempted to sell him in the last two summer windows.
Sergio Romero would have United’s blessing if he seeks a move, with his camp irritated by the goalkeeper’s demotion for the Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla.
United are confident of finalising a new long-term contract for Dean Henderson, who believes he is deserving of No.1 status, and Joel Pereira - now 24 - has to be removed from his comfort zone. Going off the club website’s updated first-team section, United have a squad of 32 (excluding Teden Mengi and Ethan Laird) and Solskjaer truly trusts just over half of them.
A bloated squad will be streamlined by loans for Tahith Chong and
James Garner, and it is unlikely Odion Ighalo’s spell will be extended again beyond New Year’s Day.
Jettisoning half-a-dozen squad players is an exercise in earning and swift fees could fund moves to reinforce areas of the squad other than the attack.
United are open to adding a new centre-half, but cannot justify the expense when they have eight of them and spent £140m on that department in the last five years.
Shifting two back-up goalkeepers, defensive duds and playmakers who seldom make United play is doable, though the Reds are not traditionally proactive sellers. They banked an impressive £22m for Morgan Schneiderlin from Everton and £16m for Memphis Depay in the 2017 winter window, but both players had requested permanent transfers.
Rojo has survived efforts to flog him to Everton, usually suckers for a United reject. He is certainly not a part of Solskjaer’s plans.