Manchester United players are now on either international duty, or at Carrington, practicing during the November break. The football has stopped for a while and that is always a good time to look at some things from a broader perspective.
It is November now and before you know it the December madness will start. Matches will come faster and faster. There will be no time for cool-headed thinking. That is why the planning for January transfer window should already be underway.
Manchester United Have Spent A Lot But Did Not Improve As Much
Manchester United have spent a lot of money last two summers. In 2016, Paul Pogba arrived for a world record-breaking fee. This summer, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku were pricey additions, alongside Victor Lindelof. And the team has most definitely improved. That is obvious and it is not part of this conversation.
However, as we have seen during the previous four weeks, it is not the strongest squad. Jose Mourinho has a great team at his disposal, but the squad depth is not as good. With Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini getting injured, Mourinho struggled to find proper solutions. Ander Herrera was introduced to try and fix things in the middle of the pitch. However, not even Fellaini is an ideal solution for a team like Manchester United. Simply, if you aim for the Premier League title, you need a broader squad.
January Is Always Tricky
The next opportunity for getting new faces at the club will be in less than two months. January transfer window will be the time to get a few players that will increase the quality of the squad. However, it is not the easiest thing to do it midway through the season. Many players need time to settle, especially if they have not played in England previously.
So, for Mourinho to get a few players in January would be very tricky. Manchester United need players which will improve the team as much as possible. They need someone like Nemanja Matic. A player which would fit in seamlessly and bring instant quality. That is a very tough task and if Manchester United do not make any great activities in January, then that will be fine. The team should not buy for the sake of buying.
Names, anyone?
And what are the options Manchester United have right now? The positions that seem lacking options are a left-back, a winger and maybe a central midfielder. Fellaini might not be staying at the club past June and in that case, United should try and find someone to improve the depth in that position.
Faouzi Ghoulam would have been a great option to try and get for a left-back position, yet he got injured. Of course, Napoli would probably oppose that anyway, in their quest of finally winning Serie A this season.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was mentioned as a Manchester United and Manchester City target in Italian media, but nothing more than those rumours has been confirmed. The Serbian midfielder resembles Paul Pogba in certain aspects of his game and Lazio will be looking on making healthy profit from his sale.
As rumours of Juan Mata leaving are growing with each day, Man United’s priority should be a winger. Mourinho likes industrious wingers, but the team definitely needs players who will bring zest to this team, someone more experienced and of proven quality, alongside Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
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