My premises are as follows:
1. Ten Hag stays
2. We are not expecting to take the full step next season.
3. It’s more important at this stage to have the right profile of players than the right quality of players.
I expect Sancho and Greenwood to go because they are not the right profiles on a personal level. Pellistri is stylistically not a great fit, and could be sold. That leaves
Garnacho
Rashford
Antony
Amad
Forson
Of those, I think Garnacho, Rashford and Antony fits the football well stylistically. Garnacho is a no brainer in that respect. People will complain about Rashford being too onesided etc, but I don’t think so, not at his best, and I think Ten Hag agrees with me. Otherwise he wouldn’t have built his team to get the most out of Rashford. His issue is consistency, but when at his best, he has the qualities to thrive in a Ten Hag-system, stylistically. The doubt is rather: what lies behind his inconsistency. If it’s attitude, he will be sold and much money will go to a replacement. If it’s issues to do with confidence, personal stuff, tactical inderstanding, I think Ten Hag is going to continue with him.
Antony will get groans because of his quality and his price. For Ten Hag, his price incoming will be irrelevant, because tose money can’t be recouped. If he’s sold, he’ll bring in, I don’t know, €35m? He fits the profile perfectly, if he comes back to his normal form of last season, Ten Hag will not get a significantly better stylistic fit, and whom he trusts and knows, for those Euros alone. I think Antony stays as one of four wide player candidates.
Then Amad and Forson. Forson is on an outgoing contract, he got a few chances so the coaches probably like his qualities, he’s done ok, but not as ok as Elanga did, say. Will he get an inproved contract and promises of a bigger part to play next season. Don’t know, but at this point I doubt it. Amad is a player I have hoped for since he arrived, but I’ve but uncertain about his confidence, proactivity, aggression, feats necessary for a player of his stature and strengths to take the final step. I’m putting my two bob on him having taken a decisive stride with the Liverpool game, and will get more chances, and hopefully be one of four wide candidates going into next season.
Garnacho, Rashford, Antony, Amad - It looks a bit meagre going into a full season, but stylistically it is sound. I think we’ll need either a cheaper option to have five options, and save our FFP money for other positions, or we chose to make this a priority position to strengthen ahead of CM, ST or CB. We can’t buy three top dollar players for the money we get on sales, I don’t think.
My guess is that if Ten Hag is unsure of either of the four players I mentioned being able to turn in a considerable shift next season, we might go for someon like Olise or Neto, but at the expense of bringing in more moderate reinforcements for CB, CM and ST (two of three). At their best, it’s good enough to grow, but not to dominate, but I’m satisfied with that. I have no way of knowing how far either of them are from being at their best come August, though. Big decision.
