What do we still need? Post Summer 2017 edition

Devil may care

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Another transfer window closes, after the flash of Ibra and prolonged drama and excitement of the Pogba saga last year, this summer window has felt quieter for United. We got a long trem replacement for Ibra and a medium term replacement for Carrick, while adding depth to CB with Lindelof.

General consensus is that we would have added Griezmann had Atletico Madrid not gotten a transfer ban, whether that would have been as well as Lukaku or instead of we'll never know, and I'd say there's still a decent chance we'll go back for him.

Obviously a big hope for this season is that Pogba, Martial, Rashford and Mkhitaryan will progress and deliver more in the attacking end of things, but that RWF position is in need of an upgrade, not to slight Mata but we need a different, more dynamic option to compete with him there I feel.

The other key area I think will be in need of strengthening next summer or maybe in January is the fullbacks. It's possible Luke Shaw makes the LB spot his own but I think it's 50/50, and Valencia will be 33 next season and we don't even have any real competition or cover for him, I think it would be smart to get a RB in to understudy him before competing for the spot.
 
IMO, had we signed Aurier and a decent wide player we will be in a near perfect shape.
 
A high-end young Right winger/Right sided attacking forward. Not sure where we will eventually find that. A young RB to cover for Valencia/be a long term replacement will be nice. I still have hope for Shaw. I also think by next summer we will need to add a young deep lying mid-fielder as cover for Matic.
 
Right wing starter, left back starter and right back backup/possible starter would have been ideal but all in all I'm pretty happy with our window and the direction we're going. Griezmann next summer :devil:
 
It's really refreshing to have us go through the transfer window with a clear strategy and the strength to resist getting swindled in fees by other clubs. That and showing faith in keeping a few of the younger players is the best thing we could have asked for. Players of the caliber deserving the United shirt come and go every season. If we maintain this return to a competent transfer business we'll be plenty fine in the future regardless of the specific names that come in.
 
Both fullback positions are the standouts, although we could already have our next RB in TFM. Shaw is (or was depending on how he comes back) a great talent and I'm all for giving him one more season, but if he doesn't make the spot his own then we should definitely get a new LB. Mata can be improved upon but we haven't used his off the ball movement enough this season, he's got into threatening positions only to be ignored. I think another attacking player with a great eye for a pass would be helpful, but I don't think there's enough space this season to keep everyone happy.
 
Griezman next summer would be brilliant, especially as Ibra would be leaving and he can play across the forward line (which is a much needed attribute). In addition to that, we'll next a RB for sure and maybe a LB, although I'm hoping that shaw comes good and we don't need one
 
A creative Winger and bit more Sharpness and game changing quality in attack. Boy We should have got Mahrez in the window. This was the perfect opportunity to Put a totally well balanced team out their which could take on any team. When facing world class teams and big teams we will lack some creativity to break defenses by playing on the ground instead we could rever to fellani and ibra long balls as target man if we fail to break them down.

Other than that we are pretty good in all areas. I am optimistic with the luke shaw comming back strongly too.
 
Realistically we need an attacking player (Griezmann in January or next summer, a winger if we don't move for him) and a full back for both flanks.
 
Our weakest positions are the two FBs imo. The left hand side lacks quality going forward and the RB position lacks depth. It's great that TFM get's games on his loan but if Valencia loses form or gets injured, we're in trouble
 
Attacking right back would be good for us. The amount of times that Valencia gets into good crossing positions only to hit the first man or turn back must be frustrating.
 
A squawka multi functional left sided centreback come winger come wing back come false 9 who reads between the lines and who has exceptional ball retention- must have played 3 good games in Germany and scouted football must have profiled him .
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
What happens if Valencia gets a bad injury?
Click to expand...
Then Darmian, Bailly or Tuanzebe goes in.
There's a reason why most clubs don't just go buying a full squad every season. And I'm probably one of the few thankful persons for us "only" getting three new players.
 
The squad is relatively settled as things stand, and seems to be the most cohesive it's ever been in the post-Ferguson era - which is a big deal because lots of turnover can have a destabilizing effect - especially when the starting XI has many revolving doors. As long as you're not actively regressing, stability often breeds success under a determined manager. Considering that, we could stand to go in a couple different directions and add maybe 2-3 players (without sabotaging squad harmony) if the right ones are available for Mourinho's scheme.

  • This one is a bit similar to the one we currently have with a floating attacker on the right - backed up by a wingback. I'll be relatively content with 3 additions (2 of them in their prime, and the third more of a youngster). Maybe 4 if a truly world class #10/#8 hybrid who's adept at playing a bit of an architect role is available as a direct upgrade over Mkhitaryan, but that's not an absolute priority.

Roaming attacker through the inside right channel. Can Griezmann do what Eto'o did for José at Internazionale in terms of also tracking back even though it sounds counter-intuitive?
Balanced leftback if Shaw/Blind/Darmian don't nail down the position:



Right wingback for the medium to long term given Valencia's age - either a developmental player, or someone who can perform from the get go.

Maybe something like this:



  • The second option has someone like Griezmann through the center in a SS/#10 role (Dybala would be perfect, but if he leaves Juventus, he's more likely to join a Spanish club):

What we'd want is someone with Lemar's characteristics for the right flank because even though he's someone who will suit United, he plays in Martial's position (albeit in a different role). So unless we put Rashford on the right and do away with Martial, that's an unrealistic option.

The alternatives play in more varied styles. Carrasco is better on the left, but can also play on the right and has a definite release clause, so you'll have something like this:



Pulisić would be a really exciting signing - more of an inverted attacker when he plays out wide, and not exactly a winger or wide midfielder in the traditional sense:



Someone like Malcolm from Bordeaux - who's maybe not the most accomplished, but young and technically gifted, and could become what Lemar is right now in terms of being a decisive and creative wide attacker:





One thing I like is that we don't have a lot of desperate needs apart from maybe leftback, so it essentially boils down to just 3 or 4 positions where we can wait for the rights options to crop up (unless you want to significantly strengthen the depth, too). Whoever is signed has to be top notch (or potentially top notch), though - which aligns perfectly with Mourinho's past comments wrt. progressively raising the level of the relatively settled team - from the one he inherited, to a potential league winner, and then a genuine European contender.
 
I think it'll become obvious over the season. We will probably need a back up striker when ibra goes for sure. We seem to be playing 4231 mostly so I would also say someone that can play across the front for more depth and quality would work. Cm we look okay.
 
RB and RW/RWF for sure. Probably a LB too, depending on how Shaw does this season with both form and injuries.
 
We need a LB, and we'll soon need a RB. So a starter on the left and a young, close to starter on the right would be very useful. Or a starter that's quickly phased in, with Valencia moving to backup. A winger on top of that and we're in really nice shape.
We might need a CB next summer, but hopefully Lindelof settles in. That would mean fairly realistic expectations from the transfer window.
 
Invictus said:
The squad is relatively settled as things stand, and seems to be the most cohesive it's ever been in the post-Ferguson era - which is a big deal because lots of turnover can have a destabilizing effect - especially when the starting XI has many revolving doors. As long as you're not actively regressing, stability often breeds success under a determined manager. Considering that, we could stand to go in a couple different directions and add maybe 2-3 players (without sabotaging squad harmony) if the right ones are available for Mourinho's scheme.

  • This one is a bit similar to the one we currently have with a floating attacker on the right - backed up by a wingback. I'll be relatively content with 3 additions (2 of them in their prime, and the third more of a youngster). Maybe 4 if a truly world class #10/#8 hybrid who's adept at playing a bit of an architect role is available as a direct upgrade over Mkhitaryan, but that's not an absolute priority.

Roaming attacker through the inside right channel. Can Griezmann do what Eto'o did for José at Internazionale in terms of also tracking back even though it sounds counter-intuitive?
Balanced leftback if Shaw/Blind/Darmian don't nail down the position:



Right wingback for the medium to long term given Valencia's age - either a developmental player, or someone who can perform from the get go.

Maybe something like this:



  • The second option has someone like Griezmann through the center in a SS/#10 role (Dybala would be perfect, but if he leaves Juventus, he's more likely to join a Spanish club):

What we'd want is someone with Lemar's characteristics for the right flank because even though he's someone who will suit United, he plays in Martial's position (albeit in a different role). So unless we put Rashford on the right and do away with Martial, that's an unrealistic option.

The alternatives play in more varied styles. Carrasco is better on the left, but can also play on the right and has a definite release clause, so you'll have something like this:



Pulisić would be a really exciting signing - more of an inverted attacker when he plays out wide, and not exactly a winger or wide midfielder in the traditional sense:



Someone like Malcolm from Bordeaux - who's maybe not the most accomplished, but young and technically gifted, and could become what Lemar is right now in terms of being a decisive and creative wide attacker:





One thing I like is that we don't have a lot of desperate needs apart from maybe leftback, so it essentially boils down to just 3 or 4 positions where we can wait for the rights options to crop up (unless you want to significantly strengthen the depth, too). Whoever is signed has to be top notch (or potentially top notch), though - which aligns perfectly with Mourinho's past comments wrt. progressively raising the level of the relatively settled team - from the one he inherited, to a potential league winner, and then a genuine European contender.
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This this this and this.
 
January window is where we should strengthen if possible in the full back area. Fabinho and Aurier were huge misses in my eyes. If Shaw hits the ground running then we simply don't need a left back so the right back is priority. If Shaw doesn't cut it then I believe we need a fullback for either side and a winger.

It appears to me that we held off on making the call due to the Shaw, Rojo and Young injuries, we needed Darmian and Blind more than we wanted them. With Shaw and Rojo fit and playing before January we should be in a position to sell a couple of players and bring atleast one in. Could easily see two or three out of Shaw/Blind/Darmian/Young leaving with one or two coming in to be a first choice left back and alternative at right back.

Final pieces of the squad I believe after we have sorted the fullback situation will be Griezmann and Perisic/Wingback. Griezmann to rotate with Mkhitaryan for no10 and wing position. When that final phase is complete we have a beast of a squad.
 
The spine of the team (assuming Lindelof isn't a dud) looks fairly strong. Where we're lacking is quality out wide - a couple of fullbacks and a couple of wide players needed.
 
I think we still need a LB, RB, and a RW. However, I think we'll definitely sign Griezmann next summer. So the RW may yet again not be fulfilled. Also if Carrick and Fellaini move on next summer, another CM. Although, we may also see Jose put faith in TFM for the RB position.
 
It would be smart business to pre-buy Griezmann in January for him to arrive in the Summer.

I just hope we stay relatively injury free. An injury to Lukaku or Matic and we're back to last season's offerings. That said, several players should improve this season so it's looking bright.

Who knows who the winger will be for next season as there's bound to be a new face on the scene. A lot of us didn't properly know about players such as Lemar or Mbappe this time last year and now they're commanding fees of 90m and 165m respectively - so there's bound to be a new flavour of the month emerge throughout the season! I think the ship has sailed for Bale to united now and wouldn't be interested in that rumour cropping up again with another year on his clock. Shame, as he always felt right for United before now...

RB is an absolute must whatever happens. Valencia's age will catch up with his type of game at some point soon and our back up leaves a lot to be desired. Fingers crossed that TFM will have a standout season at Palace though.

Big season for Martial and Shaw to step up to their potential
 
dichinero said:
IMO, had we signed Aurier and a decent wide player we will be in a near perfect shape.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I really feel that we have missed out on a top talent in Aurier, I'm very disappointed about that.

So depending on Shaw's performances, we should either be looking for one or two new fullbacks, and as mentioned, 50% of that conundrum could have been solved this window for less than £25 million.
Sessegnon is a possible candidate for LB, perhaps Fabinho for RB?

The Greizmann opportunity has passed in my opinion, next window Barcelona, PSG and Madrid will be all over him, end of story.
As fantastic as Greizmann is, I'm still not 100% convinced that he would have fitted in with us, or that we'd have got maximum performances from him.
I would expect our next big marquee signing to be the #7 position though, and depending how this season goes, Jose could be eyeing Bale, or possibly a younger star such as Carrasco.

Matic is on a reasonably short term contract, so I would expect a younger replacement to be considered, possibly Dendocker or maybe Fabinho again...!

I will state again that apart from Bailly, I am far from convinced by any of our central defenders, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Jose go for a big signing at CB, possibly Varane.

A lot of players coming to the end of their contracts, and I would be surprised if Carrick, Mata, Smalling, Darmian, Fellaini and Blind are with us beyond next season.

So in summary:
RB - Definately - Fabinho?
LB - Possibly - Sessegnon?
CB - Possibly - Varane?
DMC - Possibly - Fabinho, Dendonker?
RW - Definately - Bale, Carrasco?
 
Ikon said:
Yeah, I really feel that we have missed out on a top talent in Aurier, I'm very disappointed about that.

So depending on Shaw's performances, we should either be looking for one or two new fullbacks, and as mentioned, 50% of that conundrum could have been solved this window for less than £25 million.
Sessegnon is a possible candidate for LB, perhaps Fabinho for RB?

The Greizmann opportunity has passed in my opinion, next window Barcelona, PSG and Madrid will be all over him, end of story.
As fantastic as Greizmann is, I'm still not 100% convinced that he would have fitted in with us, or that we'd have got maximum performances from him.
I would expect our next big marquee signing to be the #7 position though, and depending how this season goes, Jose could be eyeing Bale, or possibly a younger star such as Carrasco.

Matic is on a reasonably short term contract, so I would expect a younger replacement to be considered, possibly Dendocker or maybe Fabinho again...!

I will state again that apart from Bailly, I am far from convinced by any of our central defenders, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Jose go for a big signing at CB, possibly Varane.

A lot of players coming to the end of their contracts, and I would be surprised if Carrick, Mata, Smalling, Darmian, Fellaini and Blind are with us beyond next season.

So in summary:
RB - Definately - Fabinho?
LB - Possibly - Sessegnon?
CB - Possibly - Varane?
DMC - Possibly - Fabinho, Dendonker?
RW - Definately - Bale, Carrasco?
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I hope we do get Griezmann. If they go another season without winning something it could still be on. Meunier would love him at United. Would not go near Bale with a ten foot barge pole. We have given him the chance to join us and he would rather cling onto Madrid and get the constant abuse. Don't think we need all the players you are saying. I think three might be enough as long as they are the best available. Quality rather than quality.
 
Rasendori said:
This season, we've struggled to break down low blocks. Whilst we beat West Ham 4-0, the goal that broke the deadlock was against the run of play, rather than dismantling a low block. Moreover, the second goal against West Ham, was the result of Rashford running into space and getting fouled, earning a free kick which we ultimately scored from. West Ham being 2-0 down, with nothing to lose, the option Bilic chose was to go for it, with his substitutions happening shortly after the second goal. As the game opened up, United were able to punish them on the counter, as exemplified by United scoring two further goals in quick succession.

Similarly, Swansea's 3-5-2 system frustrated us, congesting the midfield with Swansea having three midfielders to match that of our own, as the wing backs could concentrate on Rashford and Mata respectively, and even then the only time we looked remotely dangerous was through the dogged determination of Rashford. Additionally, its noteworthy that the first goal we scored wasn't from open play, but rather through a set piece, and the timing of it just before half time couldn't have been any worse for Clement who would've been happy going into the tunnel knowing they'd successfully frustrated Man Utd. Are failure to capitalise on our first goal led Swansea to believe they could actually nick a result, which led to two wingers coming on as substitutes as Swansea switched to a 4-4-2 system. Less than 10 minutes later, United introduced our own substitutes in Martial and Fellaini, as we changed to a 4-3-3 with the point downward giving us numerical superiority in central areas, a luxury we didn't have prior to Swansea's change in system. This made us particularly dangerous on the counter with Pogba playing in the interior, meaning he was closer to Martial, as now he had Fellaini alongside him who could provide additional support to Matic, and once again we scored a number of goals in quick succession following our opposition making the game more open.

With the aforementioned in mind, I feel we need another creative player to help us dismantle low blocks. We have a spine of physical players such as Bailly, Matic, Pogba, and Lukaku, and if we can be creative in the same measure with Lindelof/Tuanzebe, Pogba, MKhitaryan and Malcom then that would make us far more threatening. Rashford/Martial are the goal threats from outwide, what we lack is that Ribery/Coutinho/Hazard creative option on the right. That's why Malcom from Bordeaux would be my pick. I first saw him at the U20 World Cup for Brazil, when I wanted to see how Andreas Pereira was getting on. He showed flashes of brilliance, and I admittedly forgot about him until I noticed Adam Ounas wasn't being picked anymore for Bordeaux. The player being prioritised over him was Malcom. I watched some games to understand what he offered that Ounas couldn't, and it became increasingly apparent that Malcom has maturity beyond his years. This season, his progress continues to be on an upwards trajectory.

Malcom's weight of pass is brilliant, as he regularly switches play to the opposite winger, and carves up defences with his passes, he has the awareness and link up play to bring the right back into the game, such as getting them in positions where they can make a cut back. When coming across teams that play a low block, one way to destabilise them is to shoot from distance, forcing the opposition to leave their low block to close space, and Malcom has a cracking shot on him. Additionally, Malcom is also a direct free kick threat, which is pivotal considering we now look dangerous at indirect free kicks thanks to the delivery of MKhitaryan. We have Pogba and Rashford that can take them towards the left, and we could have Malcolm taking them on the right with his left foot. Furthermore, he's inherently capable of being a creative outlet at right with his ability to dribble by going on the outside as well as cutting inside.
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I'd also look to strengthen the full back positions. Jose has suggested he'd like an offensive option, and Napoli's Ghoulam could be just that. Excellent ball retention in tight spaces, frequently puts crosses into dangerous areas, doesn't just stay on the touchline either, as he makes infield runs once the opportunity presents itself, which is something we need to see more of from our own full backs, particularly the left hand side, when Martial is playing as he needs to work on his off the ball movement. Moreover, he's a left footed player that can contribute with corner kicks, which is important considering the options we now have the players to score from set pieces. Furthermore, one attribute of Ghoulam which may appeal to Jose, is his presence in the air, as this is very much a valued commodity in the EPL, with an abundance of players with an aerial presence, e.g. Mounie, Deeney, Caroll, Benteke, Giroud, Llorente, Vokes, Rondon, Slimani amongst others.

For right back, I'd prefer to not see a young prospect per se, as we need to get back to having a succession plan from those playing for our academy, instead of those coming through being through injuries, and from what I've seen, Lee O'Connor, and Ethan Laird are two excellent prospects. Therefore, my choice would be Meunier. First of all, he'd be a player that would actually want to be here (‘I’ve always said that one day, I would like to play in the Premier League,’ '‘On the other side of the Channel, there are the stadiums, the fans, and I’ve never hidden that I’m a big fan of Manchester United, which remains, in my eyes, the real reference in the world of football.’) Additionally, Lukaku is used to both (Baines and Coleman) full backs putting in dangerous crosses, but at NT level with Vertonghen playing left back, the player he gravitates to, in terms of on the pitch chemistry is Meunier. It would be in our best interest, to recreate that at club level, for Man Utd.
 
Full backs and a world class attacker (Griezmann, Sanchez...)
 
Said it yesterday, had United signed van Dijk and Sanchez, that would have amounted to an absolute monster of a squad with serious depth and flexibilty. FB positions need strengthened also, but at the moment Valenica/Darmian on the right ( add in Jones and Lindelof) and Blind/Darmian/Shaw on the left - Rojo in an emergency he is much better at CB - are enough to go on with, obviously a lot depends on whether Shaw proves to be the player he has the potential to be.
 
Rasendori said:

I'd also look to strengthen the full back positions. Jose has suggested he'd like an offensive option, and Napoli's Ghoulam could be just that. Excellent ball retention in tight spaces, frequently puts crosses into dangerous areas, doesn't just stay on the touchline either, as he makes infield runs once the opportunity presents itself, which is something we need to see more of from our own full backs, particularly the left hand side, when Martial is playing as he needs to work on his off the ball movement. Moreover, he's a left footed player that can contribute with corner kicks, which is important considering the options we now have the players to score from set pieces. Furthermore, one attribute of Ghoulam which may appeal to Jose, is his presence in the air, as this is very much a valued commodity in the EPL, with an abundance of players with an aerial presence, e.g. Mounie, Deeney, Caroll, Benteke, Giroud, Llorente, Vokes, Rondon, Slimani amongst others.

For right back, I'd prefer to not see a young prospect per se, as we need to get back to having a succession plan from those playing for our academy, instead of those coming through being through injuries, and from what I've seen, Lee O'Connor, and Ethan Laird are two excellent prospects. Therefore, my choice would be Meunier. First of all, he'd be a player that would actually want to be here (‘I’ve always said that one day, I would like to play in the Premier League,’ '‘On the other side of the Channel, there are the stadiums, the fans, and I’ve never hidden that I’m a big fan of Manchester United, which remains, in my eyes, the real reference in the world of football.’) Additionally, Lukaku is used to both (Baines and Coleman) full backs putting in dangerous crosses, but at NT level with Vertonghen playing left back, the player he gravitates to, in terms of on the pitch chemistry is Meunier. It would be in our best interest, to recreate that at club level, for Man Utd.
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Accurate in dept mirco analysis.
 
Agree with many that are 'weaknesses' are out wide. Scouts should be looking for full backs (left back the priority unless Shaw turns his career around) and a right winger.
 
Time will tell but I'm happy with the business we've done. My preference is always for 3 or 4 signings (less if that isn't required) rather than 5, 6 or more as I prefer a settled squad.

A wide player might have been good but we now have the chance for players to step up and improve. The path for youngsters is also not blocked so the likes of Martial, Shaw, Rashford, Fosu Mensah, maybe Pereira etc will hopefully get their chance and take it. Finally, in some cases (Shaw).

Next summer, I'm confident we've got ourselves in a position where again we'll only need 3 or 4. Good stability after the cluelessness of Moyes and scattergun approach of van Gaal in the market.

A good window and we're going in the right direction.

Now the existing players need to step it up.
 
We had identified 2-3 targets in every position, Except the wings , I wonder why so.
 
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