OLE’S CRUSADE
United eye title assault
SINCE the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, Manchester United have been plotting their course back to domestic glory. However, eight seasons later and the Red Devils are still yet to rediscover the triumphant form which propelled them to the promised land of English football.
With a new season now underway, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping to rewrite history by becoming the first manager since the Scotsman to lift the Premier League title.
After extending their treasury of Premier League titles to 13, United have fallen under the blue shadow of their crosstown rivals Manchester City, who have since won four Premier League trophies.
While their trophy cabinet gathers dust, they’ve also been made to watch Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester take home the crown which so often belonged at Old Trafford during Ferguson’s 26year stewardship.
It was always going to be a tough assignment replacing arguably the greatest manager of all-time but nobody quite anticipated just how many candidates would be sacrificed to find the right person for the job.
All four of Solskjaer’s predecessors didn’t survive more than two seasons in office, attesting to the high level of expectation from the club’s board.
Even Jose Mourinho, one of the most decorated coaches in modern football, didn’t fulfil his three-year contract despite winning the Community Shield, the League Cup and the Europa League in his debut season.
Solskjaer knows better than anyone what it takes to reach the mountain top of English football, having won six Premier League titles while under the tutelage of Ferguson himself.
But achieving it as a player is one thing and achieving it as a manager is quite another. The pressure of delivering consistent results at a club with the prestige of Manchester United is a tall order for anyone, let alone a novice whose only previous experience of topflight management ended in relegation while at Cardiff in 2014. Despite his rocky start to life in the dugout, Solskjaer has somewhat redeemed himself during his reign at Manchester United. Though his team are far from the finished article, it’s clear they’re progressively working towards an ambition of returning to their former eminence – qualifying for the Champions League in their last two seasons.
Many critics would argue that European football is a minimum requirement when considering their prodigious
resources and squad depth. After all, it’s not like Solskjaer has been made to suffice with a shoestring budget. Since his arrival in December 2018, the Norwegian has invested over £386m on transfer fees, recruiting the likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
In fact, Chelsea and Manchester City are the only two English clubs to have spent more in that period of time. Unlike their rivals, however, the Red Devils are still waiting to get their hands on the trophy which has eluded them for nearly a decade now.
However, their activity in this summer transfer window certainly shows a growing desire from the board to assemble a squad capable of competing for the league title this season.
Jadon Sancho was the first player to join their ranks this summer after a three-year spell with Borussia Dortmund. The young Englishman first piqued Solskjaer’s interest during his remarkable breakout campaign in the Bundesliga where he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists – all before blowing out the candles on his 19th birthday – making him the youngest player in German history to reach that goal tally.
Sancho became a first-team regular, with 50 goals and 57 assists in 137 appearances for the German giants. Following years of conjecture over his next destination, United finally reached an agreement for the 21-year-old winger in a deal worth £72m.
While some might argue this is a punitive figure for a player who’s yet to prove himself in the Premier League, Sancho is the right-sided winger that Solskjaer has been craving.
Nevertheless, the signing did raise a few eyebrows given that Mason Greenwood already occupies that position and flourished in the league last season with eight goals in just 14 appearances.
But while the two Englishmen are quite similar insofar as their acceleration and finishing, Sancho created over three times as many chances in 2020.
Another inspired addition to their team is Raphael Varane. The Frenchman received a tremendous reception upon his arrival at Old Trafford from the 14,000 United supporters seated in the Stretford End before their opening game.
The 28-year-old defender completed his move from Real Madrid this summer for £34m which is chump change for a player of his quality. During his time in Spain, Varane won four Champions Leagues and triumphed internationally by winning the 2018 World Cup.
United have been crying out for a centre-back to accompany Maguire for years.
The last time they had an infallible defensive partnership was Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, who won five Premier League titles whilst playing alongside each other.
Varane’s presence in Solskjaer’s team could prove the solution to their recent infirmity at the back. With so much experience in big games, the Frenchman can impart some wisdom on the younger players around him in the same way Thiago Silva did at Chelsea.
And to put the icing on the cake, the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford after a decade way has further whetted the appetite.
At 36, the Portuguese forward may be past his very best version, but he’s still got plenty to offer and a winning pedigree that Solskjaer will hope will rub off on his team-mates. In light of these signings, the Red Devils have clearly demonstrated a more measured approach to the transfer market this summer. Although it’s early doors, Solskjaer’s team got off to a superb start with a convincing 5-1 victory over Leeds.
Fernandes took home the match ball with three brilliant goals while his midfield partner Paul Pogba bagged himself four assists – already overtaking his tally for last season.
This performance was made even more impressive by the fact they had to make do without deadly frontman Edinson Cavani, who scored ten goals last season. Whether they can continue this level of performance routinely throughout the season remains to be seen but with their new personnel set to join the action you can’t help but feel this is just the tip of the iceberg for what could be a very successful season.