For me, not much has changed from what we need from the summer apart from not yet knowing how the young signings may progress:
Priority signings:
Centre Back: I Still see this as an absolute priority. Lindelof is consistently averagely not good enough to be a starting centre back for a title contending side. Bailly is consistently not fit enough and Tuanzabe has been fit fo rsome time now with few opportunities, you have to ask why? A leader/reader with pace, Ferdinand type is what is needed. The positioning of our defenders and moving up and back in unison is still poor too often. Feels like when we play anybody decent we revert so often to Fred and McTominay or Matic as anybody gets at our defence....they are vulnerable
Defensive Midfielder: For me we only have one, an old Matic we should be looking to replace. People can alk about the merits of McTominay or/and Fred, they arent defensive midfielders. In fact I think all of our midfielders bar Matic defensively and Fernandes VDB offensively are box to box midfielders, all in a different way, we dont need them all, we do need a defensive midfielder though
Right Winger We may have already made that signing in Diallo, in fact with the price paid, I think we have.....but it is of course too early to tell if he is ready, not just ready but is he good enough? Looks a real talent, but he hasnt even played yet. There were simlar aspirations with Pellestri who is still playing youth football and now going on loan as isnt quite ready, despite what we read about him being involved straight away when signed, and this is more realistic
Striker Personally thought at the time and still do now, Cavani was a very good signing, but its a short term one and we cant expect him to start every game, Greenwood I dodnt think is there yet in terms of being our starting striker and Martial of coruse often flattering to decieve a lot.
So effectively we NEED three signings, but it doesnt end there. One of the biggest problems with this group of players for me for the last 4/5years is that individually, so many of them have been inconsistent whether that be performance, attitude or through injury: DeGea, Bailly, Shaw, Pogba, Rashford and Martial for me being the main culprits. DeGea and SHaw now have competition so that isnt a cocnern, Bailly will with another cb signing mentioned above....that leaves Pogba, Rashford and Martial.
Pogba: sorry I am very much on the side of sell him, too many problems he brings and even playing quite well as he is now, still in the peak of his career so often he is just sloppy givign the ball away in really dangerous areas of the pitch, you simply cant have that from asupposedly world class player at his age. Barkley got criticised for it as a yougnster, Pogba is still doing it now. He is quite obviously a huge talent but that isnt enough
Rashford: Just personal opinion, but still think he is over rated. When he is in form he is a huge danger, when he isnt he is actually pretty poor and very ineffective, he really needs competition. I think signing VDB and not Grealish was a grave error myself. VDB is a decent player not a great one, always has been and he really only offers competition in central midfield of which we already have so many players and as back up to Fernandes. Grealish would have offered all of that plus COMPET|ITIOn to Rashford and cover for the right flank as well
Martial: For me without doubt good enough but also without doubt not consistently effective enough still after a fair few seasons now, he was a Van De Gaal signing, that how long he ha sbeen here, he isnt a youngster now and he also isnt a consistent performer, time to cash in
So I still think there is a huge clear out to be done, and also still several signings to be made, joke really still needed to be done year after year, but:
Out:
Definates
Rojo
JOnes
Dalot
Matic
Perreira
Lingard
Mata
We have loaned a few out and also cleared out Fosuh Mensah, but lets face it, not much money coming in transfer fee wise for these players
Also out for me
Fred - I simply think we dont need him and McTominay, both do such a similar role and both are box to box players in a different way to what Pogba or VDB offer. I liek him, but dotn love him, he breaks up play but offers little else for me, doesnt have the quality required, I prefer McTominay
Pogba - Been discussed a million times, Im on the sell side
James - For me he would be one of the first names I would sell, simply don tthink he is anywhere good enough. He certainly provides no competition and offers little in a squad as back up either for me
Martial - Throughout a season he isnt a starter as he simply doesnt perform often enough and with that inconsistency cant really rely on as a squad player, more value in selling him and looking to improve on with a new signing for me
I do think these four players would bring in good money, wont go into mentioning figures. I then see us looking to sign:
CB: Leader/Ball player with pace
DM: A proper ball playing defensive midfielder with good positioning and good in the tackle and a terrier with heart coverign a lot of ground
CM: WIth Pogba and Fred sold, only leave VDB and McTominay for that spot, both can cover other positions in midfield and both I am not convinced are that player we need. WOuld like to see a big signing in this position
RW: WIth James/Mata/Lingard sold and more of a transition into a striker for Greenwood hopefully next year.....there is room for either competition to Diallo, or if he isnt ready, the big player for him to be under study too for now
LW: No Martial or James to back uo Rashford and I think he needs serious competition there
ST: With Cavani another year older and maybe less starts and still Greenwood maybe not ready to be the main man, a Matial replacement
I am not going to mention a load of names. WHat I will say is what we need is six positions covered....but it doesnt have to be six signings, one name I will mention for example Grealish could potentially solve three of them to a degree
