If there's a forum award for longest post in history, I'm quietly confident I've just clinched it. I haven't been around much these past few months as life has had me buried in lengthy academic and professional writing, so rather than drip-feeding thoughts across multiple threads, I resolved to get everything out in one go. Consider this my summer manifesto.
The Summer Rebuild: A Roadmap
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. We are going to lose a lot in central midfield this summer. Casemiro is definitely gone when his contract expires, and that is a serious amount of experience walking out the door. Ugarte will also be moving on. I won't pretend that's a devastating footballing loss given his performances haven't justified the investment, but it is still a body leaving, and bodies matter when you consider what next season is going to ask of this squad.
Because here's the thing; assuming we qualify for the Champions League, and I think that’s assured now, next season is going to be enormous. CL football, the league (where anything less than qualifying for Europe's top table again should be considered a failure), the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup. We are realistically looking at 60+ games, possibly more. That fixture volume changes everything about how you build a squad.
The "Two Players Per Position" Imperative
I've said this before and I'll say it again: the only sensible framework for squad construction at this level is two viable players per position. Not two players where one is a real starter and the other is a warm body — two players who can each credibly start for a team with title aspirations. In practice, I think you'll have a core of six to eight players who are “undroppable” first choices, another ten to twelve who are fiercely competing for those starting slots and can step in without any material drop in quality, and then two to six younger developmental players; high ceiling, high potential, not yet at the elite level but hungry and improving. Every signing should fall into one of those three buckets. If a player doesn't fit any of them, he shouldn't be here.
Midfield is the Priority
After Casemiro and Ugarte depart, our only genuine, recognised central midfielder is Kobbie Mainoo. That is an extraordinary situation to be in going into a Champions League season. We need three midfielders this summer to give us four credible CMs.
So let me start with the obvious. Anderson is probably exactly the right profile — a homegrown 6/8 with the quality to be a United player — but the likely asking price of around £125m is prohibitive at the best of times, and even more so when we have further expensive signings to make across the squad. More fundamentally, I don't think he's worth that kind of investment. He's very good, but he is not a generational talent who redefines a team's entire profile, and at that price you need to be buying someone who does exactly that.
My preferred primary target, and one I genuinely hope has legs, is Aurélien Tchouameni. He is a proper "6". Positionally disciplined, so comfortable positionally and in possession that he's filled in effectively at centre back for Real and brings elite club and competition experience that you simply cannot manufacture. His press resistance, passing quality, and physicality would excel in the Premier League. In almost every respect, aside from the set piece threat Casemiro provides, he would be an upgrade. At just 26, he is at the perfect age to anchor our midfield for the next five or six years, at least, and if he could be secured for around £80m, this club should not hesitate for a single second.
What excites me most about a Tchouameni signing is the partnership it creates. Him alongside Kobbie Mainoo would, in my opinion, become one of the best midfield pairings in Europe within a couple of seasons. Their qualities are near-perfectly complementary. Tchouameni's physical presence, positional intelligence, and elite experience alongside Mainoo's dynamism, ball retention, and technical ingenuity. It's the kind of partnership you build a team around.
But we need a third player who is ready to play and start, someone who can partner either Tchouameni or Mainoo in a double pivot, or operate as part of a three alongside both. The player who stands out most clearly to me (and I'll be honest, I'm a very big fan) is Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
I think he is the complete package. The perfect modern midfielder. His long-range passing and vision are exceptional, his first touch is elite, and his ball-carrying in tight spaces is a joy to watch. He presses with real intensity and consistency, with the stamina to sustain it across 90 minutes, but crucially he is also extremely difficult to press himself. He has a low centre of gravity and serious lower body and core strength that makes him incredibly hard to shake off the ball, which is a physical attribute that doesn’t get enough attention. His playmaking and tempo control are underrated too; he drops between the centre backs naturally and uses that space to dictate the pace of play. Defensively, his ability to read passing lanes and cut off attacks before they develop is genuinely excellent already. And then there's the transition…..when Fernandes accelerates through a midfield gap to trigger a rapid attack, it is something else. Truly elite. That combination of being devastating in a counterattacking system while also being completely comfortable in a possession-based one is extraordinarily rare, and it fits our profile perfectly under any Head Coach we're likely to employ.
At this stage of his career, moving to a club of our size, I believe he would be content to be initially rotational. Which is important for the profile we need for that third CM spot. We will sorely regret letting this player go elsewhere. I believe he should be a priority signing. Alarmingly PSG are already sniffing.
The third signing, so our fourth CM, stays in the developmental bracket. A player like Bouaddi, Mokio, or Smit: potentially elite young talent, high ceiling, happy to fulfill a squad role while they develop, with every expectation they push their way up the pecking order. After the Yoro deal, our relationship with Lille is strong, and Bouaddi, in particular, feels like a very achievable piece of business and is the best of the trio from what I have seen. A quartet of Mainoo, Tchouameni, Fernandes, and Bouaddi — all technically excellent, blending experience with elite young talent — is the foundation of a midfield that can be genuinely dominant for years, and is a sign of the sort of strategic long term thinking that lasting success is built on.
The Alternatives and the Fallback Options
Given that the best laid plans rarely survive contact with the transfer market, and the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of the Frenkie De Jong debacle, i.e. more than one summer consumed by a deal that never happened while better, more attainable options slipped away. The good news is that I think we now have a genuinely competent recruitment operation, as evidenced by last summer's business, and that gives me confidence that alternatives will be properly identified and pursued in parallel. At least, that’s what should be happening.
So who fills the gaps if primary targets fall through?
Carlos Baleba features prominently on most lists, and with caveats, rightly so. The obvious concern is the mental fortitude/character question. His form demonstrably suffered after his head was turned by United last summer, and that's not a trivial thing to dismiss. But at a reasonable price, somewhere under £60m including add-ons, he has the potential to be an excellent squad addition and possibly an elite performer in time. My concern is using him as a primary alternative to Tchouameni rather than to Fernandes. A double pivot of Baleba and Mainoo is short on experience and proven sustained form. That is a significant gamble, and one I don't think we can afford to take at this stage of the rebuild. Baleba as the Mateus Fernandes fallback? Fine. Baleba as our primary defensive midfielder? That's a different proposition entirely.
So if Tchouameni is unavailable, and Anderson is too expensive or also unavailable, then who? We need someone with a longer resume, attainable — not necessarily cheap, because I'm not sure cheap exists in this market anymore — but affordable and genuinely within reach. Three names stand out. First is Wharton, who is more of an 8 than a 6, and there are very real questions about whether his price tag is justifiable for his profile. Second….Tonali. At 25 he has the engine and proven Premier League quality to make an impact, and while I don't think he ever quite reaches the very top tier, he's a player with real credentials. Finally, Angelo Stiller is the highest-risk option of the three I am putting forward, given the lack of Premier League experience, but also arguably the most interesting profile. He blends defensive tenacity and positional discipline with excellent technique, a genuine passing range, and real playmaking ability. Of the three, he's the biggest gamble but also the player whose ceiling is hardest to cap. Professionals at the club with more insight, more data and more experience are in a better position to analyse, but the balance between quality, characteristics, and price feels like the best of the bunch to me.
The Full Back Situation: More Pressing Than It Looks
Left back requires attention, and more than a budget solution. Shaw needs to be rotated aggressively next season. His fitness record makes that non-negotiable. While Mazraoui showed at AFCON that he can play the position to a high level, we need a genuine left back who can compete and rotate with Shaw, and ideally one who offers a different, more attacking profile rather than just a like-for-like cover option.
The standout experienced option for me is David Raum. He is a superb attacking full back, genuinely excellent going forward, and would be affordable in relative terms. The caveat is that at 28 he is not a long-term successor to Shaw, his would be a signing that solves a problem for two or three years, not one that defines the position for a decade. But solving the problem for two or three years is actually what we need right now, and Raum does that very well.
The best option among those potentially available is Lewis Hall. We are looking at around £60m, maybe more, which is an extremely meaningful investment, but I believe one worth making if it fits within our financial capabilities and, critically, doesn’t compromise the midfield recruitment drive. The midfield is the overwhelming priority and nothing should be allowed to compete with it for funds. If Hall is achievable after the midfield is addressed, he should be pursued seriously. Other interesting profiles worth monitoring are the technically excellent Adrian Turffert and the lightning quick Nathaniel Brown, both offer different attributes and are worth having on the list as the window develops.
On Harry Amass — everything I said before, in previous posts, stands. He has proven he can compete physically in men's football after a full season in a demanding Championship, and the technical quality was never in question. But to be clear about his role: next season he is a squad player and a quality third choice, getting serious minutes in cup competitions and hopefully using that platform to establish himself as a genuine long-term successor to Shaw. That is a realistic and valuable role for a player of his age and trajectory. It is not, however, a reason to avoid signing a senior left back ready to compete from day one.
At right back, I am wary of saying that “just good enough” is good enough, but given other priorities it's acceptable for one more season, not excellent. Dalot and Mazraoui will do the job, but it is a position that needs genuine upgrading. The following summer that has to happen as part of the long term rebuild, and we should already be doing the groundwork now. Names like Kayode are near the top of most emerging lists for that position, and while his price is only likely to go up, another year at Brentford is only going to do him good.
One idea worth serious consideration for next season, however, is giving Yoro some game time at right back. I know the instinctive reaction is to resist playing centre backs out of position, and generally I share that instinct. But there are rare instances where it works exceptionally well, not just for the team, but for the player's own development. Think of the work we did with Phil Jones, and particularly Wes Brown, who excelled there so completely that he became our primary right back and one of the best in the league for a period. Culminating in our 2008 CL victory. Yoro has the technical ability, the mobility, and the dribbling capability to excel in a role that requires a defensively solid, tactically intelligent supporting full back, especially if we are deploying a more attacking option on the left. Not every full back has to be an overlapping speedster, and one of Yoro’s stand-out qualities is his ball carrying from the back line. Aside from the obvious tactical flexibility of morphing into a three in the build up phase, it would improve our aerial presence during set pieces at both end of the pitch. Importantly, it would also broaden his game and sharpen his awareness of the full pitch in ways that only benefit his long-term development as an elite centre back, which is absolutely where his future lies. Some minutes at right back next season is not a deviation from that path, instead I think it could actually accelerate it.
The Forward Department and the Bruno Question
The AMC role is Bruno's, full stop, with Mount as the understudy. I'd move Mount on and find a replacement if the right situation arose, but I don't think it will, and frankly Mount's versatility and quality are going to be genuinely useful in a 60-game season. The enduring fitness question mark is real, but it's the hand we're playing. For the sake of brevity (I can hear you laughing) I will not address today Bruno’s age, and eventual succession plan, but suffice to say I can see us moving towards a more compact and controlling midfield three instead of the double pivot and “10” that we deploy currently.
In the wide forward areas, the Dorgu, Cunha, Amad, and Mbuemo quartet delivers exactly the two players per position imperative I outlined at the top of this post. Dorgu is growing into a real threat, and that left-footed attacker operating from the left is incredibly rare in an era of inverted wingers. I think he can potentially be a key player next season. Between those four we have real quality, variety, and cover across the wide positions, and no…I am not worried about the form of Mbeumo and Amad. I see two players of enormous quality who are suffering from a post AFCON blip. I retain a lot of faith in their quality. Sesko up front is already an excellent forward anchor, but I think we’ve only see the tip of the iceberg with him. He’s a potential unicorn. The speed, mobility, technique of a smaller false nine, and the benefits of a more traditional target man. The problem is that with Zirkzee likely leaving (as he should), we are a man short up front, and that gap needs addressing.
The approach to solving it can and should be flexible. The most obvious answer is a like-for-like striker replacement, but the market for that profile is extremely thin. Watkins would be a superb rotation option alongside Sesko — the right age, the right quality, the right profile to complement rather than duplicate — but his price tag would be wildly inappropriate for what would be a squad rather than starting role, and I can't see that deal making sense for any party except Aston Villa. Unless we want to take a short-term punt on someone like Danny Welbeck on a free for one season, which has a certain nostalgic charm but isn't really a serious answer, then a more agile approach is needed.
What I mean by agile is this: rather than hunting a pure striker in a shallow market at inflated prices, we consider a versatile forward who gives us options and flexibility across the entire front line. Someone whose arrival frees up Mbuemo, Cunha, or even Amad to operate in a different way, as a roaming pressing forward, a false nine, or second striker, without us losing attacking quality or tactical clarity. That kind of signing multiplies options rather than simply filling a vacancy.
Diomande has been mentioned in this context and I understand why, he has the profile of a potentially elite wide forward and the physical attributes to cause problems in the Premier League. But his period of proven excellence is relatively short, and the Bundesliga is not the proving ground that justifies the fee his club are reportedly demanding (somewhere north of £100m). That’s before we even take into consideration the pattern of high value Bundesliga imports who flatter to deceive. For that kind of money I want an indisputable star and automatic starter. Diomande is not that. At least not yet. He may well become it, but we would be paying the price for what he might be rather than what he demonstrably is, and that is a gamble I don't think the budget allows us to take after the midfield spend. Someone else is either going to get a superstar, or get horribly burned.
So, we have to cast the net wider. Names like Mateus Mane have come up in recent links and represent the kind of younger, hungry, more budget-conscious, high upside profile that might fit our needs and financial reality better than a marquee purchase. In that mold I also really like Rodrigio Gomes, also at Wolves, and Eli Junior Kroupi (who would be more expensive but has real quality). We should also not overlook what is coming through our own academy. Lacey and Thwaites both deserve genuine first team integration next season, players with real upside who have shown enough to suggest they could become significant contributors. JJ Gabriel is the longer-term proposition. An exceptional talent who isn't ready yet, but who will train with the first team squad and maybe get his cup minutes. Then there is Chido. The forward line of the next three to four years may already be within our walls to some degree.
Defensively, We're in Good Shape (For Now)
Maguire's contract extension was an easy and correct decision. Leadership, experience, professionalism, mental strength, reliability, and quality at that price is a no-brainer. Lisandro Martinez is a unique asset whose competitive fury combined with his distribution is something you can't just go and easily replicate. That said, his injury record is troubling and if there was one to leave, and be replaced by a high-quality replacement, it would probably be him. In Yoro and Heaven we have two players from whom I expect massive strides over the next two to three seasons. But patience will be required (good luck with the fanbase). Both are already good enough to start (rotationally) for a top team but are still developing the situational maturity and consistency to be the absolute spine. That evolution is coming, and I think we’ll see it accelerate as they accumulate more experience.
Then there is De Ligt. Look, the fitness record is a serious concern and I won't pretend otherwise. But when he plays, you're watching one of the best centre-backs in the world. That quality doesn't disappear. The priority right now should be getting him fit and firing for next season (because he won’t be leaving this summer) and getting everything out of him, because the ceiling when he's healthy and available is exceptional.
Recruitment, Infrastructure, and the Long Game
Let's talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough serious analysis in fan discourse, and that's the structural question sitting underneath all of this transfer discussion. Because before we can properly evaluate who we sign, we need to honestly confront the context in which those signings will be made.
The “Head Coach” appointment this summer is genuinely difficult. In the absence of Luis Enrique, who we can all agree is several tiers above the other candidates, I don't see anyone on the available list who is both outstanding and risk-free. The names being hyped right now, like Marco Silva, Andoni Iraola, and Oliver Glasner, are all being discussed with an enthusiasm that isn't always grounded in rigorous analysis. There's a pattern in football discourse where a coach who has overperformed with a focused, well-run mid-table club becomes briefly anointed as the next great thing, often without serious examination of their difficult periods, their tactical limitations at the elite level, or crucially how much of their success was driven by the exceptional recruitment and football operations infrastructure around them rather than by their own genius.
We've seen this movie before. Frank and Potter both looked exceptional within the finely tuned, data-driven ecosystems at Brentford and Brighton respectively. The moment they stepped outside those environments, the clubs they left behind continued to thrive, and in some cases improved, while the coaches themselves struggled badly. The ecosystem made the coach look better than the coach made the ecosystem. That's not a slight on either individual; it's just an honest read of what happened.
Accepting Probability Before Making the Appointment
Here is something I think we as a fanbase need to genuinely accept before the next manager walks through the door: if we hold expectations at the appropriate level (title challenge, or close to it) then the probability of this appointment failing is, statistically, higher than the probability of it succeeding. That's not pessimism. That's just modern football, and it's easily observable recent history not only at United but at almost every major club around us. Appointment after appointment, at club after club, has demonstrated that even talented coaches fail regularly at the biggest clubs. The variables are too many, the margins too thin, the external pressures too intense.
This isn't an argument for lowering expectations. It's an argument for building a club that doesn't collapse when the inevitable happens. Because there will be another wrong appointment after this one. And another after that. That's not ineptitude, it's just the reality of the industry.
The data point we should be obsessing over is not whether or why we got the Amorim appointment wrong. It's whether we have built, or are building, the structural excellence in every other domain that allows the club to absorb a wrong appointment, make a change, and continue on strategic track without missing a beat and without needing to rebuild the squad from scratch. That means elite medical and performance infrastructure. It means genuine player development and support systems. It means academy excellence. It means organisational culture that is consistent and strong regardless of who is in the dugout. And above all else — equal to or greater than any of the above — it means recruitment.
The Squad Must Be Bigger Than Any One Coach
This is where I want to be direct, because I know some people push back on this. The squad should be built around a long-term vision of player and squad development, consistent with a defined game model that retains room for tactical and stylistic agility, but is fundamentally impervious to the whims or preferences of any individual head coach. The head coach absolutely has a voice in recruitment. Of course they do. But they are not the driving force, they do not have final say or power of veto, and they do not dictate a wholesale change in game model that necessitates tearing up the squad and starting again.
United have given us arguably the greatest example in football history of what happens when you get this catastrophically wrong. Moyes to Van Gaal to Mourinho. Each appointment was philosophically diametrically opposed to the last. Van Gaal — a coach so committed to possession and control that he reportedly discouraged players from shooting first time, preferring they bring the ball under control first — followed by Mourinho, whose entire football philosophy was documented by his own biographer as being built around surrendering the ball and exploiting the opposition's mistakes. You could not construct two more opposed football philosophies if you tried. Neither was right for United. But the deeper, more catastrophic failure was appointing them back to back. The result? Multiple complete squad rebuilds. Hundreds of millions of pounds wasted on players who were right for one coach and useless for the next. All while operating in a "win now" demand cycle that left no room to actually see any project through. A truly world-class own goal, and one the club has repeated in various forms ever since.
I do think INEOS understands this. The criticism of them is real and often valid, but the evidence from last summer's transfer activity suggests a recruitment operation with genuine coherence and strategic intent; building a squad that can function under multiple tactical interpretations rather than one bespoke to a single coach. That has to be the model going forwards.
The Hat Trick
Put Carrick, Iraola, Glasner, Silva, Tuchel, and Nagelsmann into a hat. Draw one out at random. My honest view is that each of them has roughly equal chances of success or failure in this specific role. Not because they are all the same, they are clearly not, and each brings a meaningfully different set of qualities and risks. But because, first, every one of them has obvious strengths alongside genuine vulnerabilities that could prove their undoing at a club of this size and scrutiny, and second, because the success or failure of whoever is drawn will be determined at least as much by the quality of the infrastructure around them as by their own ability.
The idea that we need to find a new Ferguson — one transcendent individual who defines the club for a generation — is not only unlikely, it's the wrong way to think about it entirely. That model belongs to a different era of football. The club's strategic clarity, intellectual expertise, recruitment excellence, and operational consistency is the new Ferguson. That is the enduring light. That is what drives sustained success over time, regardless of who is standing on the touchline.
Get that right, and the coach matters less than people think. Get it wrong, and it doesn't matter who you appoint.
The Summer Rebuild: A Roadmap
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. We are going to lose a lot in central midfield this summer. Casemiro is definitely gone when his contract expires, and that is a serious amount of experience walking out the door. Ugarte will also be moving on. I won't pretend that's a devastating footballing loss given his performances haven't justified the investment, but it is still a body leaving, and bodies matter when you consider what next season is going to ask of this squad.
Because here's the thing; assuming we qualify for the Champions League, and I think that’s assured now, next season is going to be enormous. CL football, the league (where anything less than qualifying for Europe's top table again should be considered a failure), the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup. We are realistically looking at 60+ games, possibly more. That fixture volume changes everything about how you build a squad.
The "Two Players Per Position" Imperative
I've said this before and I'll say it again: the only sensible framework for squad construction at this level is two viable players per position. Not two players where one is a real starter and the other is a warm body — two players who can each credibly start for a team with title aspirations. In practice, I think you'll have a core of six to eight players who are “undroppable” first choices, another ten to twelve who are fiercely competing for those starting slots and can step in without any material drop in quality, and then two to six younger developmental players; high ceiling, high potential, not yet at the elite level but hungry and improving. Every signing should fall into one of those three buckets. If a player doesn't fit any of them, he shouldn't be here.
Midfield is the Priority
After Casemiro and Ugarte depart, our only genuine, recognised central midfielder is Kobbie Mainoo. That is an extraordinary situation to be in going into a Champions League season. We need three midfielders this summer to give us four credible CMs.
So let me start with the obvious. Anderson is probably exactly the right profile — a homegrown 6/8 with the quality to be a United player — but the likely asking price of around £125m is prohibitive at the best of times, and even more so when we have further expensive signings to make across the squad. More fundamentally, I don't think he's worth that kind of investment. He's very good, but he is not a generational talent who redefines a team's entire profile, and at that price you need to be buying someone who does exactly that.
My preferred primary target, and one I genuinely hope has legs, is Aurélien Tchouameni. He is a proper "6". Positionally disciplined, so comfortable positionally and in possession that he's filled in effectively at centre back for Real and brings elite club and competition experience that you simply cannot manufacture. His press resistance, passing quality, and physicality would excel in the Premier League. In almost every respect, aside from the set piece threat Casemiro provides, he would be an upgrade. At just 26, he is at the perfect age to anchor our midfield for the next five or six years, at least, and if he could be secured for around £80m, this club should not hesitate for a single second.
What excites me most about a Tchouameni signing is the partnership it creates. Him alongside Kobbie Mainoo would, in my opinion, become one of the best midfield pairings in Europe within a couple of seasons. Their qualities are near-perfectly complementary. Tchouameni's physical presence, positional intelligence, and elite experience alongside Mainoo's dynamism, ball retention, and technical ingenuity. It's the kind of partnership you build a team around.
But we need a third player who is ready to play and start, someone who can partner either Tchouameni or Mainoo in a double pivot, or operate as part of a three alongside both. The player who stands out most clearly to me (and I'll be honest, I'm a very big fan) is Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
I think he is the complete package. The perfect modern midfielder. His long-range passing and vision are exceptional, his first touch is elite, and his ball-carrying in tight spaces is a joy to watch. He presses with real intensity and consistency, with the stamina to sustain it across 90 minutes, but crucially he is also extremely difficult to press himself. He has a low centre of gravity and serious lower body and core strength that makes him incredibly hard to shake off the ball, which is a physical attribute that doesn’t get enough attention. His playmaking and tempo control are underrated too; he drops between the centre backs naturally and uses that space to dictate the pace of play. Defensively, his ability to read passing lanes and cut off attacks before they develop is genuinely excellent already. And then there's the transition…..when Fernandes accelerates through a midfield gap to trigger a rapid attack, it is something else. Truly elite. That combination of being devastating in a counterattacking system while also being completely comfortable in a possession-based one is extraordinarily rare, and it fits our profile perfectly under any Head Coach we're likely to employ.
At this stage of his career, moving to a club of our size, I believe he would be content to be initially rotational. Which is important for the profile we need for that third CM spot. We will sorely regret letting this player go elsewhere. I believe he should be a priority signing. Alarmingly PSG are already sniffing.
The third signing, so our fourth CM, stays in the developmental bracket. A player like Bouaddi, Mokio, or Smit: potentially elite young talent, high ceiling, happy to fulfill a squad role while they develop, with every expectation they push their way up the pecking order. After the Yoro deal, our relationship with Lille is strong, and Bouaddi, in particular, feels like a very achievable piece of business and is the best of the trio from what I have seen. A quartet of Mainoo, Tchouameni, Fernandes, and Bouaddi — all technically excellent, blending experience with elite young talent — is the foundation of a midfield that can be genuinely dominant for years, and is a sign of the sort of strategic long term thinking that lasting success is built on.
The Alternatives and the Fallback Options
Given that the best laid plans rarely survive contact with the transfer market, and the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of the Frenkie De Jong debacle, i.e. more than one summer consumed by a deal that never happened while better, more attainable options slipped away. The good news is that I think we now have a genuinely competent recruitment operation, as evidenced by last summer's business, and that gives me confidence that alternatives will be properly identified and pursued in parallel. At least, that’s what should be happening.
So who fills the gaps if primary targets fall through?
Carlos Baleba features prominently on most lists, and with caveats, rightly so. The obvious concern is the mental fortitude/character question. His form demonstrably suffered after his head was turned by United last summer, and that's not a trivial thing to dismiss. But at a reasonable price, somewhere under £60m including add-ons, he has the potential to be an excellent squad addition and possibly an elite performer in time. My concern is using him as a primary alternative to Tchouameni rather than to Fernandes. A double pivot of Baleba and Mainoo is short on experience and proven sustained form. That is a significant gamble, and one I don't think we can afford to take at this stage of the rebuild. Baleba as the Mateus Fernandes fallback? Fine. Baleba as our primary defensive midfielder? That's a different proposition entirely.
So if Tchouameni is unavailable, and Anderson is too expensive or also unavailable, then who? We need someone with a longer resume, attainable — not necessarily cheap, because I'm not sure cheap exists in this market anymore — but affordable and genuinely within reach. Three names stand out. First is Wharton, who is more of an 8 than a 6, and there are very real questions about whether his price tag is justifiable for his profile. Second….Tonali. At 25 he has the engine and proven Premier League quality to make an impact, and while I don't think he ever quite reaches the very top tier, he's a player with real credentials. Finally, Angelo Stiller is the highest-risk option of the three I am putting forward, given the lack of Premier League experience, but also arguably the most interesting profile. He blends defensive tenacity and positional discipline with excellent technique, a genuine passing range, and real playmaking ability. Of the three, he's the biggest gamble but also the player whose ceiling is hardest to cap. Professionals at the club with more insight, more data and more experience are in a better position to analyse, but the balance between quality, characteristics, and price feels like the best of the bunch to me.
The Full Back Situation: More Pressing Than It Looks
Left back requires attention, and more than a budget solution. Shaw needs to be rotated aggressively next season. His fitness record makes that non-negotiable. While Mazraoui showed at AFCON that he can play the position to a high level, we need a genuine left back who can compete and rotate with Shaw, and ideally one who offers a different, more attacking profile rather than just a like-for-like cover option.
The standout experienced option for me is David Raum. He is a superb attacking full back, genuinely excellent going forward, and would be affordable in relative terms. The caveat is that at 28 he is not a long-term successor to Shaw, his would be a signing that solves a problem for two or three years, not one that defines the position for a decade. But solving the problem for two or three years is actually what we need right now, and Raum does that very well.
The best option among those potentially available is Lewis Hall. We are looking at around £60m, maybe more, which is an extremely meaningful investment, but I believe one worth making if it fits within our financial capabilities and, critically, doesn’t compromise the midfield recruitment drive. The midfield is the overwhelming priority and nothing should be allowed to compete with it for funds. If Hall is achievable after the midfield is addressed, he should be pursued seriously. Other interesting profiles worth monitoring are the technically excellent Adrian Turffert and the lightning quick Nathaniel Brown, both offer different attributes and are worth having on the list as the window develops.
On Harry Amass — everything I said before, in previous posts, stands. He has proven he can compete physically in men's football after a full season in a demanding Championship, and the technical quality was never in question. But to be clear about his role: next season he is a squad player and a quality third choice, getting serious minutes in cup competitions and hopefully using that platform to establish himself as a genuine long-term successor to Shaw. That is a realistic and valuable role for a player of his age and trajectory. It is not, however, a reason to avoid signing a senior left back ready to compete from day one.
At right back, I am wary of saying that “just good enough” is good enough, but given other priorities it's acceptable for one more season, not excellent. Dalot and Mazraoui will do the job, but it is a position that needs genuine upgrading. The following summer that has to happen as part of the long term rebuild, and we should already be doing the groundwork now. Names like Kayode are near the top of most emerging lists for that position, and while his price is only likely to go up, another year at Brentford is only going to do him good.
One idea worth serious consideration for next season, however, is giving Yoro some game time at right back. I know the instinctive reaction is to resist playing centre backs out of position, and generally I share that instinct. But there are rare instances where it works exceptionally well, not just for the team, but for the player's own development. Think of the work we did with Phil Jones, and particularly Wes Brown, who excelled there so completely that he became our primary right back and one of the best in the league for a period. Culminating in our 2008 CL victory. Yoro has the technical ability, the mobility, and the dribbling capability to excel in a role that requires a defensively solid, tactically intelligent supporting full back, especially if we are deploying a more attacking option on the left. Not every full back has to be an overlapping speedster, and one of Yoro’s stand-out qualities is his ball carrying from the back line. Aside from the obvious tactical flexibility of morphing into a three in the build up phase, it would improve our aerial presence during set pieces at both end of the pitch. Importantly, it would also broaden his game and sharpen his awareness of the full pitch in ways that only benefit his long-term development as an elite centre back, which is absolutely where his future lies. Some minutes at right back next season is not a deviation from that path, instead I think it could actually accelerate it.
The Forward Department and the Bruno Question
The AMC role is Bruno's, full stop, with Mount as the understudy. I'd move Mount on and find a replacement if the right situation arose, but I don't think it will, and frankly Mount's versatility and quality are going to be genuinely useful in a 60-game season. The enduring fitness question mark is real, but it's the hand we're playing. For the sake of brevity (I can hear you laughing) I will not address today Bruno’s age, and eventual succession plan, but suffice to say I can see us moving towards a more compact and controlling midfield three instead of the double pivot and “10” that we deploy currently.
In the wide forward areas, the Dorgu, Cunha, Amad, and Mbuemo quartet delivers exactly the two players per position imperative I outlined at the top of this post. Dorgu is growing into a real threat, and that left-footed attacker operating from the left is incredibly rare in an era of inverted wingers. I think he can potentially be a key player next season. Between those four we have real quality, variety, and cover across the wide positions, and no…I am not worried about the form of Mbeumo and Amad. I see two players of enormous quality who are suffering from a post AFCON blip. I retain a lot of faith in their quality. Sesko up front is already an excellent forward anchor, but I think we’ve only see the tip of the iceberg with him. He’s a potential unicorn. The speed, mobility, technique of a smaller false nine, and the benefits of a more traditional target man. The problem is that with Zirkzee likely leaving (as he should), we are a man short up front, and that gap needs addressing.
The approach to solving it can and should be flexible. The most obvious answer is a like-for-like striker replacement, but the market for that profile is extremely thin. Watkins would be a superb rotation option alongside Sesko — the right age, the right quality, the right profile to complement rather than duplicate — but his price tag would be wildly inappropriate for what would be a squad rather than starting role, and I can't see that deal making sense for any party except Aston Villa. Unless we want to take a short-term punt on someone like Danny Welbeck on a free for one season, which has a certain nostalgic charm but isn't really a serious answer, then a more agile approach is needed.
What I mean by agile is this: rather than hunting a pure striker in a shallow market at inflated prices, we consider a versatile forward who gives us options and flexibility across the entire front line. Someone whose arrival frees up Mbuemo, Cunha, or even Amad to operate in a different way, as a roaming pressing forward, a false nine, or second striker, without us losing attacking quality or tactical clarity. That kind of signing multiplies options rather than simply filling a vacancy.
Diomande has been mentioned in this context and I understand why, he has the profile of a potentially elite wide forward and the physical attributes to cause problems in the Premier League. But his period of proven excellence is relatively short, and the Bundesliga is not the proving ground that justifies the fee his club are reportedly demanding (somewhere north of £100m). That’s before we even take into consideration the pattern of high value Bundesliga imports who flatter to deceive. For that kind of money I want an indisputable star and automatic starter. Diomande is not that. At least not yet. He may well become it, but we would be paying the price for what he might be rather than what he demonstrably is, and that is a gamble I don't think the budget allows us to take after the midfield spend. Someone else is either going to get a superstar, or get horribly burned.
So, we have to cast the net wider. Names like Mateus Mane have come up in recent links and represent the kind of younger, hungry, more budget-conscious, high upside profile that might fit our needs and financial reality better than a marquee purchase. In that mold I also really like Rodrigio Gomes, also at Wolves, and Eli Junior Kroupi (who would be more expensive but has real quality). We should also not overlook what is coming through our own academy. Lacey and Thwaites both deserve genuine first team integration next season, players with real upside who have shown enough to suggest they could become significant contributors. JJ Gabriel is the longer-term proposition. An exceptional talent who isn't ready yet, but who will train with the first team squad and maybe get his cup minutes. Then there is Chido. The forward line of the next three to four years may already be within our walls to some degree.
Defensively, We're in Good Shape (For Now)
Maguire's contract extension was an easy and correct decision. Leadership, experience, professionalism, mental strength, reliability, and quality at that price is a no-brainer. Lisandro Martinez is a unique asset whose competitive fury combined with his distribution is something you can't just go and easily replicate. That said, his injury record is troubling and if there was one to leave, and be replaced by a high-quality replacement, it would probably be him. In Yoro and Heaven we have two players from whom I expect massive strides over the next two to three seasons. But patience will be required (good luck with the fanbase). Both are already good enough to start (rotationally) for a top team but are still developing the situational maturity and consistency to be the absolute spine. That evolution is coming, and I think we’ll see it accelerate as they accumulate more experience.
Then there is De Ligt. Look, the fitness record is a serious concern and I won't pretend otherwise. But when he plays, you're watching one of the best centre-backs in the world. That quality doesn't disappear. The priority right now should be getting him fit and firing for next season (because he won’t be leaving this summer) and getting everything out of him, because the ceiling when he's healthy and available is exceptional.
Recruitment, Infrastructure, and the Long Game
Let's talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough serious analysis in fan discourse, and that's the structural question sitting underneath all of this transfer discussion. Because before we can properly evaluate who we sign, we need to honestly confront the context in which those signings will be made.
The “Head Coach” appointment this summer is genuinely difficult. In the absence of Luis Enrique, who we can all agree is several tiers above the other candidates, I don't see anyone on the available list who is both outstanding and risk-free. The names being hyped right now, like Marco Silva, Andoni Iraola, and Oliver Glasner, are all being discussed with an enthusiasm that isn't always grounded in rigorous analysis. There's a pattern in football discourse where a coach who has overperformed with a focused, well-run mid-table club becomes briefly anointed as the next great thing, often without serious examination of their difficult periods, their tactical limitations at the elite level, or crucially how much of their success was driven by the exceptional recruitment and football operations infrastructure around them rather than by their own genius.
We've seen this movie before. Frank and Potter both looked exceptional within the finely tuned, data-driven ecosystems at Brentford and Brighton respectively. The moment they stepped outside those environments, the clubs they left behind continued to thrive, and in some cases improved, while the coaches themselves struggled badly. The ecosystem made the coach look better than the coach made the ecosystem. That's not a slight on either individual; it's just an honest read of what happened.
Accepting Probability Before Making the Appointment
Here is something I think we as a fanbase need to genuinely accept before the next manager walks through the door: if we hold expectations at the appropriate level (title challenge, or close to it) then the probability of this appointment failing is, statistically, higher than the probability of it succeeding. That's not pessimism. That's just modern football, and it's easily observable recent history not only at United but at almost every major club around us. Appointment after appointment, at club after club, has demonstrated that even talented coaches fail regularly at the biggest clubs. The variables are too many, the margins too thin, the external pressures too intense.
This isn't an argument for lowering expectations. It's an argument for building a club that doesn't collapse when the inevitable happens. Because there will be another wrong appointment after this one. And another after that. That's not ineptitude, it's just the reality of the industry.
The data point we should be obsessing over is not whether or why we got the Amorim appointment wrong. It's whether we have built, or are building, the structural excellence in every other domain that allows the club to absorb a wrong appointment, make a change, and continue on strategic track without missing a beat and without needing to rebuild the squad from scratch. That means elite medical and performance infrastructure. It means genuine player development and support systems. It means academy excellence. It means organisational culture that is consistent and strong regardless of who is in the dugout. And above all else — equal to or greater than any of the above — it means recruitment.
The Squad Must Be Bigger Than Any One Coach
This is where I want to be direct, because I know some people push back on this. The squad should be built around a long-term vision of player and squad development, consistent with a defined game model that retains room for tactical and stylistic agility, but is fundamentally impervious to the whims or preferences of any individual head coach. The head coach absolutely has a voice in recruitment. Of course they do. But they are not the driving force, they do not have final say or power of veto, and they do not dictate a wholesale change in game model that necessitates tearing up the squad and starting again.
United have given us arguably the greatest example in football history of what happens when you get this catastrophically wrong. Moyes to Van Gaal to Mourinho. Each appointment was philosophically diametrically opposed to the last. Van Gaal — a coach so committed to possession and control that he reportedly discouraged players from shooting first time, preferring they bring the ball under control first — followed by Mourinho, whose entire football philosophy was documented by his own biographer as being built around surrendering the ball and exploiting the opposition's mistakes. You could not construct two more opposed football philosophies if you tried. Neither was right for United. But the deeper, more catastrophic failure was appointing them back to back. The result? Multiple complete squad rebuilds. Hundreds of millions of pounds wasted on players who were right for one coach and useless for the next. All while operating in a "win now" demand cycle that left no room to actually see any project through. A truly world-class own goal, and one the club has repeated in various forms ever since.
I do think INEOS understands this. The criticism of them is real and often valid, but the evidence from last summer's transfer activity suggests a recruitment operation with genuine coherence and strategic intent; building a squad that can function under multiple tactical interpretations rather than one bespoke to a single coach. That has to be the model going forwards.
The Hat Trick
Put Carrick, Iraola, Glasner, Silva, Tuchel, and Nagelsmann into a hat. Draw one out at random. My honest view is that each of them has roughly equal chances of success or failure in this specific role. Not because they are all the same, they are clearly not, and each brings a meaningfully different set of qualities and risks. But because, first, every one of them has obvious strengths alongside genuine vulnerabilities that could prove their undoing at a club of this size and scrutiny, and second, because the success or failure of whoever is drawn will be determined at least as much by the quality of the infrastructure around them as by their own ability.
The idea that we need to find a new Ferguson — one transcendent individual who defines the club for a generation — is not only unlikely, it's the wrong way to think about it entirely. That model belongs to a different era of football. The club's strategic clarity, intellectual expertise, recruitment excellence, and operational consistency is the new Ferguson. That is the enduring light. That is what drives sustained success over time, regardless of who is standing on the touchline.
Get that right, and the coach matters less than people think. Get it wrong, and it doesn't matter who you appoint.
