It proved to be a season of two halves for Manchester United last season. After Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in the Old Trafford hot seat, United hit a great run of form, going on to finish third in the Premier League, which meant Champions League qualification was in the bag. With that in mind, there was a need to strengthen this summer to ensure the team could compete on all fronts this season.
Building On Last Season’s Transfer Work
Last season, the priority for Manchester United was to strengthen their forward line. This saw them splash the cash on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, with the total outlay comfortably exceeding the £100 million mark. Building from the front appeared to be the idea, meaning the next department to strengthen was central midfield.
This summer, United have seen Casemiro depart and Manuel Ugarte, who was also due to leave the club, suffer a serious injury. It left them with Kobbie Mainoo as the only player to occupy one of the double pivot roles, meaning there was a lot of work to do. After a move for Atalanta’s Ederson broke down following medical checks, the club went on to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Carlos Baleba from Brighton to complete the midfield department.
Rashford Could Be Like A New Signing
There was talk at one stage that United could dip into the market for another forward. While Carrick can call on the likes of Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko, Amad, Patrick Dorgu and Joshua Zirkzee, another left-sided attacker, one who could preferably also play through the middle, was said to be on his shopping list.
However, that could have all changed after Marcus Rashford was integrated back into the first-team squad following Barcelona’s decision not to make his loan move permanent this summer. While it remains to be seen whether Rashford does stay put, with even the best football transfer odds indicating it’s now likely, not having to fund a new forward signing means money can be reassigned for other deals.
Further Work Is Required
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Manchester United’s Premier League campaign got off to a disastrous start away at newly promoted Hull City. Carrick’s side lost 2-0, conceding twice from set pieces, in a match they were outplayed and outfought in. This raised question marks around the defence, another area where further work is required before the transfer window slams shut in the coming days.
There’s long been a need for a new left-back, one who can deputise for Luke Shaw, who won’t be able to start all of the games United are due to play in their busy schedule this term. And while United have multiple central defenders on their books, adding another top-class centre-back, and potentially loaning out or moving on one of those currently at the club, could make them more robust at the back.
Final Thoughts
Manchester United have done some good work in the transfer market already this summer, with their new approach of being smarter with the signings they make and the money they spend, there for all to see. But if they’re to compete on all fronts this term, Michael Carrick will need more than he’s already got, with a left-back and central defender likely the priorities heading into the final days of the summer transfer window.