Manchester United’s transfer planning is reportedly well underway during the March international break, with various outlets providing briefs on the club’s plans to address problems in midfield. The position group is pretty bare behind Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and the departing Casemiro. Manuel Ugarte has failed to break into the team as a reliable defensive midfield option and appears set to leave the club as well.
The priority is understandably to fill Casemiro’s vacating role and potentially
find another option who can offer similar traits in a pivot.
There have been some reports linking United to a wide player as well, but with the priority being midfield, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some areas of the team that are lacking and could become the focus after a midfield signing is made.
Versatile Forward
The arrival of Michael Carrick has seen some of the best football from United’s three forward signings from last summer. Benjamin Sesko has eight goals in all competitions since Ruben Amorim’s departure, three under Darren Fletcher and five under Carrick, while Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have played multiple roles in wide and central areas in the front three.
The last three months has also highlighted the lack of options behind them.
Part of the reason Sesko continues to play off the bench is that he is one of the few true options to come in and make an impact against Premier League opposition. Joshua Zirkzee is again rumored to be looking for a move back to Serie A after a campaign of mostly cheering on teammates from the bench and Patrick Dorgu’s injury at Arsenal has left United with no wide forward options behind Amad and Mbeumo. Cunha has done his part on the left well and bagged a few goals for himself, but he was put there a bit out of position due to necessity.
Should Marcus Rashford return to the side with Barcelona unable to pay his fee and wages, this would be remedied some along with Dorgu’s return to fitness, but assuming the club leadership and Rashford himself want him to make Catalonia his permanent home (which seems to be the case) there should be a willingness to pull the trigger on an opportunistic forward signing.
Right Back/Left Back
The frustration from fans with Diogo Dalot is well documented at this point, but what should be noted as well is that Noussair Mazraoui hasn’t done much to unseat the Portuguese right back. Add in the regression of Luke Shaw as an enterprising option on the left (though still a solid defender) and the Reds have a pressing need on both wings of the defense.
Part of the problem is the cost of doing business, especially if you want a proven talent. Lewis Hall, Alejandro Balde, Tino Livramento, talented players who are already spoken for by a club that can afford to pay them well. It might make more sense to look abroad, but translating success to the PL is difficult to project.
This is also a position where the demands depend greatly on how the manager wants to play football. It’s unclear as of yet whether United will stick with Carrick or bring in another manager who is set in their ways tactically.
The club has regardless been linked with some left-back options specifically. Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly is a talented technical player who has reportedly had talks exploring a move, and Antonee Robinson from Fulham and Tyrick Mitchell from Crystal Palace have also been linked.
A left-sided player is reportedly on the agenda already after midfield, but right back shouldn’t be far behind.
Difference Maker
This is certainly not a specific position, and barely a role, so apologies for the misleading title, but this is where we get less clear on a place in the XI and more into what makes someone nailed on to be somewhere in the XI every week.
Manchester United is arguably down to just one truly class difference maker in Bruno Fernandes. Arguments can be made for Casemiro given his wealth of experience and what he brings in the middle of the pitch, both in possession and scoring timely goals.
The forwards are nice, but we’re not quite there yet.
When this was a team on the rise under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there were at least three players who could take a game over in a given season. Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo. Regardless of how some of those tenures ended, or where their games were lacking, those were players who could make something happen when United needed a spark. The squad was watered down over the last few years by aging players and several good, not great, talents.
Addressing this is much easier said than done. It makes sense to go for players entering their prime, like Mbeumo and Cunha, or set a long-term plan for young players who show tons of promise, like Mainoo or Leny Yoro, but the reality at a club like United is that they can also be found at a premium with the right economics and promise for competing at the highest level.
That part has made the big swings more difficult. Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham chose a more stable club to grow their talents, and Eduardo Camavinga and Julian Alvarez both joined Champions League contenders to grow their game rather than a United team that was teetering at the time (and indeed since then as well).
It’s a bit of an obvious statement, but the club has to be opportunistic. Cole Palmer wants a move to his boyhood club? At least see what a deal would look like. Rodrygo unhappy being left out at Madrid? Give his agent a ring.
The star power alone isn’t what makes United, but United needs to become a star maker again if it wants to be back at the very top.
