Five players Man Utd must sign this transfer window and how they will fix the problems facing boss Erik ten Hag
MAN UTD’S disappointing season hit a new low with their 4-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace.
The catastrophic result highlighted some of the fundamental problems at the club, not least the legacy of years of poor transfer deals.
While manager Erik ten Hag faces severe criticism, he can hardly be blamed for some of the decisions made by the recruitment team.
Despite the poor performances, however, there are promising signs for United fans.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the 71-year-old billionaire, has taken over football operations at United since buying a 25 per cent stake in the club.
He has gone through the club’s hierarchy like a dose of salts, bringing in his old chum Sir Dave Brailsford, poaching Jason Wilcox as technical director from Southampton, hiring ex-Man City man Omar Berrada as their new chief executive and head-hunting Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth, who is on gardening leave, as new sporting director.
Now the next stage is transforming the playing squad – whether ten Hag remains at the helm or not.
The club are considering a huge overhaul of the first team squad, with many of United’s big-name stars potentially heading out the door.
Reports suggest all but three – Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund – of the current squad are up for grabs providing there is sufficient interest.
And this would mean a huge spending spree to replace them.
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To help Sir Jim and his team identify the next generation of Man Ut stars, we have highlighted five players, in different positions, that we believe could help to transform the first-team picture at Old Trafford.
Jarrad Branthwaite
Aged 21, central defender, Everton & England
Estimated Fee – £30m
The first player that we have on our shopping list for United this coming summer is the 21-year-old Everton central defender Jarrad Branthwaite.
The former Carlisle United man only made the move to join Everton in 2020 and after loan spells with Blackburn Rovers and PSV Eindhoven the youngster is now a regular feature in the Everton first-team.
Branthwaite is the type of central defender that United are sorely missing.
He is physically imposing young defender who is 6ft 4in with a broad and powerful build.
Crucially, Branthwaite is a young defender who is comfortable when asked to defend deep and to defend his penalty area.
Too often we have seen United look soft defensively when the opposition are able to work the ball into a space around their penalty area.
Branthwaite is the type of defensive player who will work to cut off any space and danger in his own area.
While Branthwaite is a solid and disciplined defensive player, something that United are certainly missing this season, he is also naturally left-footed and capable of playing and progressing the ball from the back.
United have struggled not just against the ball but often with the ball in their back line this season.
Having signed the Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana last summer there was a sense that United were going to become more possession based in playing out from the back.
The issue has been, however, that the central defenders for United have not looked comfortable in possession and this has led to them having to be more direct.
As a domestic transfer Branthwaite would not come cheap for United but his profile is something that their defence is very much missing at the moment.
Joshua Kimmich
Aged 29, central midfielder, Bayern Munich & Germany
Estimated Fee – £50m
The next star for United to target this summer is the vastly experienced 29-year-old German midfielder Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich.
The midfield has been a constant issue for United so far this season and the drop off in form and performances of the Brazilian international Casemiro has perhaps been central to this.
Yes, there have been injuries in this area with the likes of Cristian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Mason Mount all having spent time out but that doesn’t fully explain the lack of performance.
Indeed, if it wasn’t for the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo from the academy then the midfield would have been more of a disaster than it has been.
This season has also been difficult for Kimmich at Bayern although the qualities of the Germany star are still plainly evident.
Against the ball he is positionally intelligent and disciplined with the ability to block off the centre of the pitch and to help his team to regain possession on central areas.
In possession he remains one of the most progressive passers in European football and his ability to break lines and move the ball into the final third is one of his biggest strengths.
One of the biggest issues that United have faced with their midfield so far this season has been that they have not been disciplined in terms of preventing the opposition from progressing the ball and they have not been able to progress the ball from the midfield.
A player like Kimmich who has the ability to play effectively in both phases of the game would go a huge way to solving these issues.
There is every chance that Kimmich would look to leave Bayern this summer and this is a chance for United to show their financial strength.
Florian Wirtz
Aged 21, attacking midfielder, Bayer Leverkusen & Germany
Estimated Fee – £90m
Next, we have another German international who we can expect to play at Euro 2024 this summer, in Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen.
While Kimmich is likely to at least explore the possibility of leaving Germany this summer it will be more difficult to secure a deal for Wirtz.
With that said, however, there is every chance that the 21-year-old Leverkusen player is a generational talent and one that could help speed the process of transformation at United.
While Kimmich is more comfortable in deeper areas of the pitch Wirtz is very much an attacking player who plays more as a No10 and in either channel as he finds and uses space in the final third.
United do, of course, have Bruno Fernandes who can play as the No10 there is an argument that he would be better used as one of the two deeper midfielders.
Wirtz could then act as the link between the midfield and attack for a team like United.
He is a dangerous 1v1 player with the ability to outplay opposition defenders but he also carries a genuine goal threat with the ability to finish with power or touch from a variety of angles and positions.
Having a player who can find space between the lines in the attacking third of the pitch going into next season will be key for United although if Wirtz is willing to leave the Bundesliga then he will not come cheap.
Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro said this week: “No one is unsellable, but Wirtz will not leave for less than €150m (£130).”
Michael Olise
Aged 22, winger, Crystal Palace & France
Estimated Fee – £60m
This one might be a bit painful for United fans given their performance recently against Olise and Palace.
But the French U21 international winger Olise would bring some much needed creativity to the club in the wide areas.
Olise is an intelligent wide player who is equally comfortable playing on the outside, and stretching the pitch, or coming inside and occupying space in the channels.
While he can score goals coming inside from the wide areas it is his ability to link the play and create for teammates outside the opposition area that would be key for United.
At the moment the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony are all more transitional players who are perhaps more ‘selfish’ in their approach to the game.
While having transitional runners in the wide areas, in the way that United have, is not necessarily a bad thing there is still an argument that they need more variety in the position.
This is where a player like Olise could come in and have an impact with his ability to link play and create from deep, as well as finishing chances when he does break into and around the penalty area.
Victor Osimhen
Aged 25, striker, Napoli & Nigeria
Estimated Fee – £112m
It is no secret that Victor Osimhen is open to leaving Napoli this coming summer and despite the presence of Rasmus Hojlund at United there is no doubt that the club should be open to signing the Nigerian international.
Osimhen is the perfect profile of striker for United and for the Premier League.
He has the pace and power to lead the line at Old Trafford but it is his intelligent movement that sets him apart from other strikers.
Hojlund, who is still a young striker, has power and pace and the willingness to run and work across the front line but sometimes he lacks the subtlety of movement that top, top strikers will have.
Osimhen is a striker who routinely seems to be in pockets of space in the final third.
This is a result of his clever movement and the timing of his runs in order to create separation and little bits of space from the opposition.
Part of the issues that United have had this season in terms of ball progression and creativity are probably down, at least in part, to the movement and ability to get on the ball in the final third.
This then gives the team a platform from which they can build.
A striker with the profile of Osimhen would certainly solve that.
Conclusion
United need major work in terms of their recruitment in the short to medium term, regardless of who their coach might be.
But these five players would go a long way to fixing some of the huge problems facing Man Utd this season.
However the overhaul will come at an astronomical price.
These five players would cost an estimated £342m this summer. Over to you, Sir Jim.