There was a time when a player’s quality was judged by how they performed in a World Cup. This perception changed around the late ‘90s and early noughties, but that hasn’t stopped the big clubs from falling for the competition’s stars. Manchester United is no different in this regard; even Sir Alex considered Kleberson due to his performance in the 2002 World Cup.
United’s 2014-15 summer window is a real standout in this regard. Louis van Gaal, who had already agreed to take over after the World Cup,
was one of the star managers of the tournament. In his first window, many of the players who lit up that year’s World Cup, like Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, and Angel Di Maria, followed Van Gaal to Old Trafford. Not to mention, Robin van Persie, one of the stars of the tournament, was already at the club.
Now, most of these players could’ve worked out for United at another time. After all, United finished fourth in the league that season, which was an improvement on their previous season. Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo also left the club with a few cups, but one did get the sense that United wouldn’t have been after the two players if it wasn’t for their performances in that year’s World Cup.
United haven’t repeated anything like this since 2014, but World Cup performances have had a bearing on their summer window and, by consequence, their season. Harry Maguire, to take one example, was no longer a player valued around the £50 million bracket after standing out in the 2018 World Cup, and this became a big talking point as Jose Mourinho considered him for the centre-back position that summer, which seemed like United’s biggest weakness at the time. He was deemed too expensive that summer, but United paid a record transfer fee of £80 in the next window for his signature.
Paul Pogba, on the other hand, saw his reputation elevated after starring for France. Mourinho and Pogba’s relationship had soured at the start of the year, and it seemed like only one was going to come out of this episode as a winner. For Mourinho, whose stock was dropping, this was fatal. For Paul Pogba, United were no longer capable of meeting his ambitions, whatever one thinks of his own part in helping United achieve the same.
United experimented with loan moves for Wout Weghorst and Sofyan Amrabat, two stars from the last World Cup, but neither impressed often enough to become mainstays at United. It seems like something like this will be the most likely outcome if United feel like they’re lacking in an area or two. United’s targets have been clear for some time, but what isn’t as clear is what will happen to their valuations based on their performance in the World Cup.
Elliot Anderson is a target for both Manchester City and Manchester United, and is the best midfielder on the market, but his price is a barrier. If he stands out in the tournament, that valuation will rise even more. This won’t help United, but it might prove to be a barrier for Manchester City as well. Marcus Rashford’s future looks unclear, but a good tournament could help United receive more from a potential sale. Of course, some of United’s targets aren’t even participating in the tournament, and that may reveal a thing or two about their qualities, among other things.
A club always likes to see itself as above World Cup hype about their transfer dealings, but things of this nature are a big factor in summer windows; it’s why it would be prudent for United to keep an eye on all this ahead of a massive window.
