Manchester United continues to be active on the transfer front, as new signings put ink to paper. The club won the race to sign the Bayern Munich duo of Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt. It appears attempts are being made to restore the club’s pride, which was considerably hurt by them finishing eighth in the Premier League last season with a negative goal difference.
The Red Devils had previously signed Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, making for a notable squad transformation in the summer transfer window, which ends on 31 August. United might yet make a move for Adrien Rabiot, whose contract with Juventus is expiring this summer, making the Frenchman a free agent.
Last Year’s Signings a Bust
Manchester United’s new signings have failed to impress much so far. André Onana improved in the second half of the season, but there is still room for improvement for him. Casemiro had a very ordinary season and Antony has been disappointing to say the least. Then there is Mason Mount, who hardly played during the season owing to an injury and remained unimpressive in the few matches he played in.
Rasmus Højlund managed to score some goals, but his strike rate was still not good enough for the number nine at a top club. Moreover, Raphaël Varane and Anthony Martial have already left the club and Christian Eriksen might follow suit. Hence, Manchester United will be needing some fresh blood and will also need their existing players to pull up their socks.
Hence, the likes of Zirkzee and Yoro will have to start performing from the very beginning to help their new club’s fortunes. Erik ten Hag will hope that his new signings will prove to be beneficial and effective for the team.
Manchester United Will Not Have it Easy Next Season
The Red Devils will embark on a difficult journey, with their first match of the new season against Fulham. Each of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, who occupied the three top spots in the league table last season, seem to be almost assured of finishing above United in the upcoming season, too.
Then, there are the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who should give Manchester United some stiff competition for the place in contention to ensure continental football the following season.
Unless Manchester United’s performance improves drastically, they cannot hope to finish inside the top our, or even top six next season. Moreover, ten Hag, who probably only managed to save his job last season by virtue of winning the FA Cup, will come under scrutiny next season, too.
His tenure at one of the biggest clubs in the world has been marked by some uninspiring football that has neither served the purpose in terms of producing results nor has been able to entice and charm the spectators.
City, Arsenal and Liverpool have looked leagues above United in terms of their overall quality. It remains to be seen whether Manchester United will able to threaten the top three clubs in the upcoming season and come up with something that is suitable for a club of their stature.