Manchester United are preparing for the new season. The squad has left for a tour in the United States, where they will be getting ready for another important campaign. However, the situation this summer is very different. The transfer window in England closes on 9 August, instead of the last day of the month. That will make things more interesting for the fans, but also a bit tougher for the clubs.
They will have to get their jobs done before the season starts and that is not something the boards are used to. There are no opening rounds and looking at what is missing. Everything has to be in place when the season kicks off. That is why this transfer window looks even more underwhelming than it may in some other circumstances. Manchester United brought in just three players and the end of the transfer window is just 22 days away, not a full month and a half.
Transfers In
Man United have brought in three players, from which only two will actually play. United signed Lee Grant for 1.5 million pounds, to be a goalkeeper in the ranks who will fill the quota for English players. He will definitely not play ahead of De Gea or Romero and he will also be happy to be part of the team and not complain for lack of playing time.
Then, from signings that will actually play, there is Fred. The Brazilian midfielder came from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk for around 53 million pounds. That is a lot of money, but his record in Ukraine suggests there is plenty of both quality and potential to improve. He may be an interesting signing, but is still a player that never played in a top European league and he might need to adjust to the Premier League.
Diogo Dalot is the last signing. The Portuguese youngster is an interesting talent who plays as right-back, but it is still far too early to know whether he could be a starter for Man United. The club spent around 20 million pounds for him and this transfer is for the future. That may be the problem too, as Jose Mourinho wants to win trophies now.
Transfers Out
Three players are not part of this squad anymore. Michael Carrick is now part of the coaching staff, while Sam Johnstone was allowed to leave for West Bromwich Albion. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Daley Blind signed for Ajax. Man United earned around 21 million pounds for those two transfers in total.
Blind was always expected to leave and there might be another player or two to leave. Of course, those should not be the focal players, but those that were on the fringes of the squad. Nothing unusual here.
Key Weeks Yet To Come
Now the key weeks are ahead of Manchester United. If the club truly wants to challenge for the Premier League title, then new players must come in soon. And they must be very good too. Toby Alderweireld and Alex Sandro are often mentioned, and now there has been talk of another midfielder and right winger.
It may be too much to expect so many players in such a short period of time, but it sounds like much better job than the one that has been done in the market so far.
Crying out for an attacking right sided player which we,ve been lacking for a few years.Wasting our time trying to get bale.Also use darmian as bait to get Sandro. Get rid of deadwood like Smalling jones an that clown rojo and give Tuanzebe a chance