Erik’s signings are simply spine chilling!
TEN HAG HAS KEY PLAYERS IN KEY POSITIONS NOW
EVERY title-winning team might have a weakness here or there – perfection is a pursuit out of reach for most football clubs – but to come out on top across a long league season it’s almost always nonnegotiable to have a strong spine.
The centre of the pitch running through from goalkeeper to striker, incorporating central defenders and the midfield, can set the tone for the performances of a team and it’s an area United have taken great strides in recently.
Their central defensive pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are playing for France and Argentina respectively at the World Cup. Varane is a previous winner of the tournament and has four Champions League medals on his CV.
Martinez is a heart and soul fighter who has made an immediate impression at Old Trafford with his passion and his quality.
It’s a strong defensive pairing for Erik ten Hag, incorporating a right and left-footed option, with both good on the ball and in one-on-one duels.
It’s cost almost £100million to put together, with Varane joining from Real Madrid in 2021 and Martinez from Ajax this summer, but it looks to be worth the money.
No area of the United team has improved as much as the midfield under
Ten Hag. He inherited Bruno Fernandes, who is in fine form at the moment, but has added Christian Eriksen on a free transfer and Casemiro for £70m.
That trio are 28, 30 and 30 respectively, so this is very much their time. They are in their prime, have plenty of experience and an awful lot of quality.
That already gives United a very secure spine. Four of those five players have arrived at the club since the summer of 2021 and all five have been signed since January 2020. Maybe a younger central midfielder could be on the radar soon, but there is no real priority to sign players in either position.
That just leaves either end of the pitch. David de Gea is in the final year of his contract and has been enjoying a good season, going past 500 games for the club, but this summer feels decisive for the keeping situation at Old Trafford. The Spaniard clearly isn’t an entirely natural fit for Ten Hag’s system and plans to play out from the back have been scaled down as a result. If the Dutchman sticks with De Gea it will show his pragmatic streak, but if he opts for a change, then now is the time to bring in a goalkeeper who does fit with his ethos.
In
Ten Hag will survey the spine of his United side and think it’s looking pretty good Tyrone Marshall
attack, Anthony Martial
deserves a chance to prove he can lead the line for Ten Hag. The French forward has looked good in between his injuries this season, scoring four goals and registering two assists in around 300 minutes of competitive action. The 26-year-old simply has to stay fit the rest of the season to stake a claim to be United’s long-term No. 9, however, rather than an excellent squad option.
The Reds will look to strengthen their attack in January after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, but that is unlikely to be a player that will take Martial’s place. That could change in the summer.
An elite-level striker has long been the priority for the summer window in 2023 and Ten Hag will see it as a major piece of the jigsaw to completing his team at Old Trafford. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been considered as a potential target and fits the bill in terms of style and goals.
What Ten Hag does in terms of a goalkeeper and a striker next summer will be two of the fascinating sub-plots ahead of his second season in charge.
Getting United back into the Champions League this season will certainly give him more options.
There will also be other areas of the squad for the 52-year-old to look at. He needs a new right-back, for starters, and might want more depth in certain positions. But if he has a whiteboard in his office with his best team written on it, he will survey the spine of his current United side and think it’s looking pretty good.