European fate in balance as United plan for different transfer windows
UNITED are having to consider different transfer plans ahead of the window opening on Monday, with their Champions League fate to be decided today.
If United can secure a draw at Leicester City they will return to the Champions League, which could mean an extra £70m in revenue for next season. But a second successive season outside of Europe’s elite could force the club into changing their plans, with the summer already fraught with difficulty when it comes to planning for the start of the 2020/21 season.
The transfer window opens less than 24 hours after the final game of the Premier League season and will remain open until October 5, but while United have been busy planning recruitment for the summer, a lot may depend on the outcome of the fixture at the King Power Stadium.
“The transfer market, who knows how that is going to be looking like, but we’ve got to plan in that respect, we have a couple of scenarios,” said Solskjaer.
The transfer window is only one obstacle United have to confront this summer ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The summer was always likely to be condensed after the threemonth hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and United still don’t know when their season will end.
While the transfer window opens on Monday United will still be preparing for the resumption of the Europa League, with the second leg against LASK Linz at Old Trafford on Wednesday, August 5.
If Solskjaer’s side reach the final their season won’t finish until August 21, just three weeks before the new season begins on September 12. That all adds up to a logistical headache for Solskjaer when it comes to pre-season plans.
“It’s difficult to plan, when you finish the season with a European tournament that you don’t really know how long it’s going to last, we don’t know if we’ll play our last game on the 5th, the 10th, the 16th or 17th or 21st, so planning pre-season and next season and the preparation is a new experience for everyone. “We’ve got to be quick on our feet when the last game is done,” he said.
“It’s how mentally it’s going to change when the season ends, when we know where we’ve ended up and what’s going to happen next season.
“It’s going to run into one more or less and it’s going to be non-stop, it’s going to midweek, weekend, midweek, weekend, which is also a challenge.
“It’s great having things to think about.”
The transfer market, we’ve got to plan in a couple of scenarios Ole Gunnar Solskjaer