The next priority - GK, CM, CF

[TheReligion]

What do we think should be the next priority in terms of recruitment when it comes to January and next summer?

Goalkeeper - It’s clear De Gea can’t play the sweeping ball playing role that Ten Hag requires. Currently we are having to adapt to accommodate him which in turn means we concede more possession from his kicking than we should be doing.

Ball playing midfielder - Currently using Eriksen in the role to good effect but clear Ten Hag fancied De Jong due to the fact he could also progress the ball by carrying it forward and not just by picking a pass.

Centre forward - With Ronaldo leaving next year, and his clear inability to play the system, the importance of a more modern, mobile centre forward looks key. Martial and Rashford both appear capable but question marks about reliability remain with only Martial showing real competence at hold up and link up play.

 

[kaku06]

A RB is also a must.

And I would say we also need a winger. Rashford and Sancho aren’t good for different reasons. Don’t have to go for an expensive one. Scout for the whole season and find a khvicha kvaratskhelia for us for dirt cheap price. Some good wingers might be in their final years.

 

[sullydnl]

All three (and RB as well) are the obvious areas that need strengthening.

Generally I would say that GK & CF should be the priorities ahead of the other two though. Partly because they're the two areas that would have most impact in terms of how we try to play but also because both De Gea and Ronaldo's contracts cone to an end at that point anyway.

 

[Relevated]

CF, MF, GK, RB

In that order for me

 

[Annihilate Now!]

In order I would say... CF, GK, CM, RB,

Though honestly you could throw the last three up in the air and see where they land.

 

[Solius]

They all feel equally important tbh with maybe RB moving to the bottom of that order (but still necessary)

CM - This feels vital for the way we want to play. Eriksen can't play every game and there's a noticeable drop-off when he doesn't.
GK - Playing out from the back is the way EtH wants but we currently cannot do this with the current GK.
ST - Obvious for everyone to see. We lack someone up front who is the full package and a handful for defenders.
RB - Dalot is playing well but I still have my doubts long term. AWB needs replacing regardless.

 

[Hammondo]

Midfield, GK, CF.

 

[BorisManUtd]

Yeah, strengthening in those areas will be key next summer + at RB position (new starting RB or a backup to Dalot if he keeps playing this well). You can't get everything you need in one summer but Rangnick was right that we needed 10 players.

Think last night and season so far showed how much we need to improve in those 3 areas. De Gea is not good enough to play proper footbal from the back, Eriksen can't play all the time so that kind of CM is needed and Ronaldo is too old + Martial too injury prone. Have a feeling we'll try to get a CF in January, especially if Ronaldo wants out again.

 

[Someone]

CF, CM, GK in that order.

I think we'll never really kick on without a proper CF, so this one is critical and should take priority over anything else.

 

[Abraxas]

Striker looks by far the biggest priority. I would expect a reduced budget next year with much of it earmarked for this position. It would be inexcusable for a club our size to enter next season without a proper striker. Ronaldo is struggling and will be gone at the end of the season at any rate, Rashford is only useful in some games.

 

[TheReligion]

All three (and RB as well) are the obvious areas that need strengthening.

Generally I would say that GK & CF should be the priorities ahead of the other two though. Partly because they're the two areas that would have most impact in terms of how we try to play but also because both De Gea and Ronaldo's contracts cone to an end at that point anyway.

Yes my thoughts. They are both quite tough positions to fill too though. Especially at United. Plenty of scrutiny on our keepers and number 9s.

I think if we get these two decision correct though we will be well on the way to making a significant impact in the league. Much like the Alisson and Ederson signings.

 

[bosnian_red]

1. GK - just look at the difference between Sociedad's keeper and ours yesterday. Would make a huge difference. Add on De Gea being useless at sweeping or claiming crosses and tossing in his shot stopping errors of late too.... yeah. Need a keeper. Mike Maignan, Diogo Costa, David Raya/Robert Sanchez my preferences.
2. ST - easily the 2nd priority, arguably top ahead of GK. If Martial fit, not a huge problem. But he's always injured. Ronaldo might as well retire at this point we would lose nothing on the pitch if he just left without a replacement. Rashford is best on the left with someone to play off of. Osimhen, Tammy Abraham, Lautaro Martinez, Ivan Toney all good options.
3. CM - Eriksen is class, but also never know how long he'll be able to keep it going in that position and nobody else can. Also a casemiro - eriksen midfield is quite old. Needs to be a deep playmaker. Frenkie, Bennacer as the main 2, Ruben Neves/Tielemans as the possible 3rd options though not sure on them.
4. RB - Dalot is good but need cover for him. Wan Bissaka should be sold. Malo Gusto as a young guy with high potential, Kyle Walker Peters is very decent, Hakimi is the unrealistic game changing choice.

Past them, it's sell/replace, sell/replace as it should be. But these 4 to make a "set squad".

 

[DannyCAFC]

1a. CF
1b. GK
2. CM
3. RB

 

[Leethal]

Dalot is 23, and so far, seems to have grasped the opportunity with both hands. If we'd have brought a RB in that is playing how he is currently, we'd all be raving about him.

He has all the attributes of a modern RB. He can cross, can pass, has physicality, and can defend. He is still developing those attributes, and if he continues to progress (like he currently is), he could be a problem solved for the next decade.

Give the lad a chance.

 

[DevilRed]

CM and RB are priorities.

We desperately need more quality midfielders to be able to control a game the way ETH wants.

 

[DWelbz19]

CM > GK > Forward

 

[Real Name]

One of those 3 positions we should try to sort in January.

 

[Telsim]

We need quality in all of those positions and quality is expensive. Remains to be seen if the parasites will release enough funds for that or if they will use this summer as an excuse to not buy anyone.

 

[Monks_United]

Well I think GK and CF should be the highest on our priority list. I can see the possibility of some of the loaned youngsters coming back and helping with the numbers at RB (Laird) and maybe even CM (Hannibal or Iqbal making some progress in cups this season), whereas we have nothing going for us in GK and CF.

The priority TBH should be to get rid of a bunch of players that arent seemingly going to be useful with the how ETH wants to play. If we can do a decent job in getting rid (we haven't done a good job there in the past so tough to see how we could start now !) then I could see us bringing in a CM etc. as a result.

 

[gza the genius]

At this point I think a CM should be the highest priority. We're managing so far with DDG in goal and rotating between Rashford, Ronaldo and Martial as CF but as soon as Eriksen is out of the team there's a huge dropoff in our play and we don't have any other midfielder in the team capable of providing the passing and composure from deep that Eriksen offers. It's unreasonable to think he'll be able to play every game.

We obviously need a striker and keeper as well I just don't think that they're hindering our overall play as much as not having any backup at all for Eriksen.

 

[Acole9]

A right back is needed too. We lack quality in that area.

 

[afatzp]

Should be in this order : ST , GK, CM , RB

Just look at Jesus's impact to Arsenal . A good ST would solve you many problems.

With De Gea, we will never be able to play the way ETH wants . So a new No.1 is next .

We have Erikson and Casemiro now , so a young prospect CM would be good addition to add some depth and ideally replace Fred .

Dalot is playing quite decent so far. I still think ETH could turn around Wan Bissaka , so not really a priority to add new RB right now.

 

[Todd]

A striker needs to be the top priority now, followed by a midfielder.

It pains me to wonder what our chances would have been to land someone like Lewendowski this summer if we had been in the Champions League.

I miss the days of United having world class goalscorers.

 

[led_scholes]

The 3 positions the OP mentioned are for starters.
Then a backup RB (if Dalot is not on a purple patch and can keep up this form) and a 3rd choice CB who is not named Maguire or Lindelof. I feel timber can be the answer for both.

 

[Strootman's Finger]

Dalot is 23, and so far, seems to have grasped the opportunity with both hands. If we'd have brought a RB in that is playing how he is currently, we'd all be raving about him.

He has all the attributes of a modern RB. He can cross, can pass, has physicality, and can defend. He is still developing those attributes, and if he continues to progress (like he currently is), he could be a problem solved for the next decade.

Give the lad a chance.

Assuming we can get him to sign a new contract and he doesn't walk away free to AC Milan or Barcelona or wherever

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

CM, GK, and CF and honestly I couldn't tell you which one is the most important because all 3 are obvious liabilities in in the squad. People moan about being unable to control games currently but when you have a GK that's petrified on the ball and a CF that can't recieve any passes into his feet, it's not going to be easy to play out of a press and recycle possession.

After those three I'd go with CB honestly. Maguire and Lindelof are such a clear drop off from Varane and Martinez, I'd want to see us bring in another young CB to rotate in and be an understudy to the top two a la Konate with Liverpool (Ndicka preferably).

 

[wolvored]

CF priority. GK CM RB. We havent got a 20 goal a season at the club. Rashford and Martial will never hit those heights.

 

[RedOrange]

Dalot is 23, and so far, seems to have grasped the opportunity with both hands. If we'd have brought a RB in that is playing how he is currently, we'd all be raving about him.

He has all the attributes of a modern RB. He can cross, can pass, has physicality, and can defend. He is still developing those attributes, and if he continues to progress (like he currently is), he could be a problem solved for the next decade.

Give the lad a chance.

Definitely. We need some depth there as all we've got is Dalot, but he clearly isn't holding us back even if he's not a world class RB. I think people are also a bit hung up on needing a traditional RB who provides width in attack and sprints to the byline to put a cross in, but that's not necessarily what we're looking for now. It's great if they can do that but a lot of the time we're playing with inverted wingbacks in possession, so the requirements are actually closer to that of a midfielder, which is why Daley Blind played a whole lot of left back for Ten Hag at Ajax (and KNVB). I think the emphasis for the fullbacks will now be versatility, skill on the ball and positioning sense, rather than simply athleticism, which obviously is nice to have but not if the other qualities aren't there.

GK is important, but I'd be fine settling for cheaper options next season, especially if the transfer budget is limited. Let De Gea go on a free next summer, try out Dubravka this season and see if he's capable, and if Henderson's a little off the mark with his distribution we could make a profit selling him to another PL club and bringing in Sommer, Trapp, or a similar keeper next summer. The step up in distribution and sweeping from De Gea to either of those two are huge, and both would enable the team to properly play out from the back without having to spend a lot in transfer fees.

CM and CF are the two biggest priorities IMO. Martial looks fantastic when he's been healthy but he's frequently injured. Eriksen is doing an admirable job, but I think we'd be best off with a proper ball progressing CM and Eriksen rotating with that player and Bruno to keep everyone fresh.

The top priority for me is buying that ball progressing CM. If it comes down to spending the money on a world class ball progression midfielder and a striker, we have to go for the midfielder. We could get away with a reclamation project at CF like Ajax/Ten Hag did with Haller given that Martial and Rashford can cover the spot there, but if Eriksen is injured for any length of time we are in huge trouble.

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Definitely CF for me first and foremost. Massive gaping hole there. Ronaldo probably won’t be here next season and Martial can’t be trusted to stay fit over the course of a full season. Plus we don’t have a natural out and out golascorer in this team that can score 25-30+ goals a season.

 

[Rojofiam]

GK, ST, CM, RB.

Only one correct order.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Definitely CF for me first and foremost. Massive gaping hole there. Ronaldo probably won’t be here next season and Martial can’t be trusted to stay fit over the course of a full season. Plus we don’t have a natural out and out golascorer in this team that can score 25-30+ goals a season.

I don't want a "natural goalscorer" if he's just going to be pub level in his hold up play and technical ability though. That's the entire point.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

It really can't be understated how much losing Greenwood hurt this squad. He'd be leading the line right now in this system and bagging for fun

 

[Rojofiam]

It really can't be understated how much losing Greenwood hurt this squad. He'd be leading the line right now in this system and bagging for fun

I agree about his importance to the team, but I think he'd still be playing on the right for us.

Also probably the best ball striker I've ever seen.

 

[#07]

CM. Just look at how the absence of Eriksen just stops us playing. Everything else can possibly be papered over besides that. With Fred in the last years of his deal we should be looking to move him on and buy someone else who can pass through the lines.

After we get a midfielder we should try and get a ball playing goalkeeper, then a back up right back and then a striker.

 

[CM]

A striker should be top priority. This is a team which still feels like it lacks goals - we've got a few okay options between Martial, Rashford and Ronaldo but nobody who feels super reliable or who you can hang your hat on for 20 goals.

Goalkeeper next. The issues with de Gea are well documented and if we want to evolve as a team replacing him is necessary. It's then a toss up between a midfielder and a right back. Ultimately we need all of these players though, and we shouldn't be happy to compromise on that.

 

[jderbyshire]

Centre Forward and a modern Goalkeeper next Summer, definitely.

Ronaldo and De Gea out the door.

 

[Swordsman]

You'd be hard pressed to find an upgrade to DavidDG. All those supposedly superb goalkeepers who are vocal, can control their box and play with their feet and play like the last man, aren't exactly helping their teams to clean sheets either. The goals they concede will probably be at most challenging saves for DavidDG. Ask those goalkeepers to play with our old backline in front of them and maybe you'll appreciate DavidDG more. Just like I don't need a central defender to be capable of hollywood passes, I'd rather a GK be able to perform his core competencies consistently.

The day DavidDG begins his decline is the day we should be concerned. We were supposed to have a ready backing in DeanH but somehow things didn't work out, for unknown reasons. Fingers crossed DavidDG could perform until past 35/6/7/8/9 like EdwinVDS was capable of.

 

[Rojofiam]

You'd be hard pressed to find an upgrade to DavidDG. All those supposedly superb goalkeepers who are vocal, can control their box and play with their feet and play like the last man, aren't exactly helping their teams to clean sheets either. The goals they concede will probably be at most challenging saves for DavidDG. Ask those goalkeepers to play with our old backline in front of them and maybe you'll appreciate DavidDG more. Just like I don't need a central defender to be capable of hollywood passes, I'd rather a GK be able to perform his core competencies consistently.

The day DavidDG begins his decline is the day we should be concerned. We were supposed to have a ready backing in DeanH but somehow things didn't work out, for unknown reasons. Fingers crossed DavidDG could perform until past 35/6/7/8/9 like EdwinVDS was capable of.

His declined started mid-2018. We should be corcerned as hell. What a delusional view.

 

[Bondi77]

From what I have seen so far we have not sorted out the RW or DM situations yet????
We have spent an absolute fortune on the two positions but I have seen nothing yet to warrant that we have improved on what we already had!

 

[Invictus]

• Ball-carrying midfielder: it is imperative that United sign someone who is nimble-footed, adept at receiving the ball in marginal half-spaces situations and excels at progressing it through tight pockets; such a player would liberate us from entrenched staticity, become a big factor in the oppositions' game-plan and draw the attention away from his team-mates.
• Midfield “architect”: the center-piece of the midfield organization (with Casemiro and the aforementioned ball-carrying midfielder revolving around him). Someone who is technically accomplished, boasts great field vision, has an innate understanding of spacetime, makes very few unforced errors and can seamlessly manipulate the rhythm of the game.
• Center forward: given the characteristics of our wide attackers, probably someone who is a threat on the ground and in the air — while stretching the field vertically and holding up the ball. A deep-lying forward or False 9 is not very suited to Sancho and Antony because they don't pose an overwhelming goal threat and don't regularly breeze through the half-spaces in forward positions.
• Goalkeeper: commanding ball-playing goalkeeper who can expertly organize the defense and establish himself as the starting point of a proactive approach. Being slightly loco would be an added bonus.

* High work rate and tactical intelligence, composure/explosiveness when pressed, dedication to the craft, hunger for improvement and above-average resilience should be fundamental prerequisites for all new acquisitions.