Manchester United are a week away from returning to action. While the World Cup is still not over, the Red Devils who are not in the tournament are in full swing, training for the return of the campaign. The first match United will play after this unusual break will be in the League Cup next midweek, just days following the World Cup in which United will have at least one player. Erik Ten Hag’s team, in the meantime, has finished their obligations on a short trip to Spain, where they lost both matchest against Cadiz and Betis, conceding five goals in the process. Those matches are not that important anyway, at least not result-wise, but the games will be coming thick and fast once the campaign is back in motion. The festive period will bring United matches in which they will have to settle right back in, with the new year looming.
And that start of 2023 will also bring the January transfer window, possibly even the key period of this campaign for Man United. This window will be a test for this club to see just how serious the owners are about getting this team back in the Champions League, despite their wishes to sell the club as soon as possible. Because United are in a serious lack of depth in two positions, despite the fact we are midway through the season. The first problem is Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure following his sacking. The Portuguese superstar was not bringing much to the table this season – in fact, he was taking a lot for himself in terms of the money, drama and unnecessary problems created for the entire team.
Man United did a good job of getting rid of him, not only saving a lot of money for the club in the process, but also showing intent to back Erik Ten Hag and give priority to the growth of the team, rather than the growth of a 37-year-old striker. But with Ronaldo gone, United are now in serious need of a striker and it will be far from easy getting the right signing to improve the depth in this position. Last season, it seemed Anthony Martial was going to leave the club once he gets back from his poor loan spell at Sevilla, but right now, he is United’s only option in that position. And all the while everyone is still unsure whether Martial actually is a striker in the first place.
The other issue is the position of the right-back. As much as we have loved what we had the chance to see from Diogo Dalot this season, he cannot be our only option. Left-back Tyrell Malacia cannot be his backup plan now that Ten Hag is ready to get rid off Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Englishman was brought in three years ago for a big fee and has not been able to prove his worth for longer spells since moving from Crystal Palace. While United have been linked with numerous right-backs in the past, the team is left with one real right-back they are ready to rely on. It is easy to see how these two positions could hurt United in the second half of the season, which will be much longer than the first one.
Leave a Reply