If we look at the summer transfer windows Manchester United have had in the past several years, we will see this summer’s business was the best the club has had. In 2016, Man United psnet 185 million euros on Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Erick Bailly, adding Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer. Pogba was the marquee signing but he still did not fulfill what was expected of him when he was joining the club as a 23-year-old. Mkhitaryan and Bailly for 80 million euros was simply too much money spent.
In 2017, Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof joined for around 164 million euros and we know how far that still left this team from being completed. A year later, 81 million euros was spent on Fred and Diogo Dalot and we do not even how to say how much United overspent on those deals, especially the former one. Things improved in 2019, with the arrival of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, but for 160 million euros. Two of those deals improved the team, yet the squad was still far from being completed. The summer of 2020 gave Untied a proper striker in Edinson Cavani, but Donny van de Beek’s arrival for 39 million euros is still far from being repaid in his performances. Because the Dutchman cannot get into the starting 11. There was also Alex Telles who brought competition to Luke Shaw…
And then there was the summer of 2021. Man United really did some important deals in this transfer window which is just behind us. Man United brought in Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, two players expected to slide into the starting XI and improve the team overall, for a total of 125 million euros. Tom Heaton joined to improve the quota for domestic players, while Cristiano Ronaldo joined from Juventus in the last few days of the window. And yet, after all this talk, after all these transfer windows and incredible sums of money spent, one place is still vulnerable – Man United’s midfield.
But What About Midfield?
Manchester United have improved their options in defence to have two very good choices for each position, that has been the case for the goalkeepers since last season as well. At the number 10 role, Bruno Fernandes reigns, but there are the likes of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard who can be useful. At the two wings, there are plenty of options in Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Amad Diallo, Mason Greenwood can play there too, as well as Paul Pogba. In attack we have Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, Greenwood and Martial also being used there as well… But central midfield?
That is the position Man United failed to address this summer and that could cost the team dearly. It may not, too, but the first-choice options of Fred and Scott McTominay show that this area of the pitch was not improved upon. Nemanja Matic is 33 and past his peak, Paul Pogba cannot be trusted in a double pivot role, while Solskjaer seems to not really know where to fit in Van de Beek. These are all fine players, but with the world class talent and quality which is set to improve United’s defence and attack, the midfield remains a place where the Red Devils could be out of depth and balance…
Leave a Reply