Manchester United have been linked with Neymar, Gareth Bale
and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past and undoubtedly will be again this summer.
So much of the past transfer windows under both David Moyes
and Louis Van Gaal have been filled with speculation of United going for
players they in reality had no hope of getting.
Sergio Ramos used Manchester United last summer for his own
gains and talk of Neymar to Manchester United is just a repeat of that saga
that will see the Brazilan sign a mega improvement on his contract and leave
Manchester United scrambling for what will be panic signings once again.
This summer whether it be under the charge of Louis Van
Gaal, Ryan Giggs or Jose Mourinho, Manchester United must go out for realistic
targets and get them done quick and smart.
In 2013 the club missed out on signing Marouane Fellini for
a reduced fee due to a buyout clause in his contract, only to pay far more
weeks later. This was just careless,
whether it was due to the failure to sign their intended signing and Fellaini
was just plan b or whether United were just not awake to the process of what is
involved during transfer negotiations under Ed Woodward who was knew to the
role at the time, this cannot happen at a club of Manchester United’s stature.
The majority of Manchester United’s signings since the
departure of Sir Alex Ferguson have been disappointing. Despite spending over £300
million the squad still lacks quality.
However talk of a clear out is wide off the mark. Leicester City have shown you don’t need a
team of super stars to challenge for the League title, you need unity within
the squad, at board level and from the stands. Too many times this season Manchester United fans have left
Old Trafford with an empty feeling they had not been used too, Indeed you could
say the players that have signed for Manchester United since 2013 have arrived
at a club that they thought was going to challenge for trophies, that were
going to be the best, that they could say they were excited to play at such a
magnificent stadium. They too have been short changed.
Louis Van Gaal has been an amazing manager within the game
and when he signed for United it seemed we had finally got it right. However he
failed to grasp the Manchester United way.
His philosophy does not work at Manchester United and maybe his ideas
are outdated.
If as expected Jose Mourinho comes to Old Trafford at the
very least we can look forward to a man with passion back shouting instructions
on the touchline with the famous chant ‘Sit down Mourinho’ never to be heard
from the home fans at Old Trafford again, after the frustration of Van Gaal
constantly remaining seated.
He will revive Manchester United again. While he has failed to build a dynasty
anywhere he has been, we as Manchester United fans should not be worried about
that. He will be good for the club now.
He will take us out of the slump we find ourselves in now.
The fact that he has failed to bring through young players
at his other clubs, most notably Chelsea is a concern, but as Louis Van Gaal
has said, it was a condition for him when he was in talks for the job, and it
will be for Mourinho too. He simply must
bring through the younger generation.
Louis Van Gaal may have already helped him in this respect with the
amount of young talent he has brought through, and most may have already taken the steps to a promising future at United.
The Van Gaal period has not been all bad. Yes the style of football is not good to
watch but he has signed some good young players, Anthony Martial has the
potential to become a legend at United and Memphis Depay ,if given the time,
will show why we chased him and we will eventually be happy he turned down
Liverpool for us. That player we saw at
the World Cup is still there and we will see the best of him.
As I said previously a major clear out is not needed. Marouane Fellaini was never going to be a hit
at Manchester United and his time is up.
Phil Jones was labelled as one for the future by Sir Alex Ferguson when
he retired yet injuries have held him back and this season a midfielder in
Daley Blind has shone at centre back, making Phil Jones surplus to requirements
at Manchester United. If as expected
United sign another centre back then Jones will be out the door.
Michael Carrick has just two months left on his contract and
at the age of 34 (turning 35 in July) I feel his time is up at United. With Bastian Schweinsteiger (31), tied up to
a contract and the younger of the two it would make more sense to keep him.
Both are not needed at the club, one must go.
The midfield has long been over due a makeover and Carrick will not want
to end his playing days sitting on a bench.
Adnan Januzaj too needs a severe wake-up call or he too could
be out the door. His reported bad
attitude could see him leave United but a possible change in management could
see him shine at last.
Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini should be
out the door this summer.
Both Bortwick Jackson and Varela have shown their quality in
the full back roles meaning strengthening in these areas may not be needed if
they are to develop. Matteo Darmian will
improve after a stop start first season, while Luke Shaw will hopefully return
as good if not better to when he got injured.
One of the first things Manchester United must do this
summer is to make sure David de Gea is happy to stay. He is vital to the cause
yet United cannot let last season repeat itself. If he wants to go United should use it to
their advantage and try to get James Rodriquez or Raphael Varane included in
the deal. This must not rumble on all
summer once again. James had an incredible World Cup and we cannot forget his
talents just because he is going through a bad spell at Real Madrid. Many players would struggle to get into that
Real side ahead of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo.
He would provide the spark, pace and creativity we have been badly missing in attack.
If De Gea should depart I would look no further than Stoke’s Jack
Butland. Butland has been in superb form
this season and will be England’s No 1 in the future.
Players such as Raphael Varane and Aymeric Laporte must be targeted for the centre back
role alongside Chris Smalling. Both
would cost big money but are young enough to repay that over their career at
United.
Marco Verratti and Ross Barkley would be dream signings in
the midfield while a James Rodriquez or Marco Reus would add the lacking
creativity. Manchester United must make the decision as what to do with
Wayne Rooney. He is best suited to the
role of No 10 meaning a new striker is needed.
Lukaku, Kane and Ibrahimovic have
all been mentioned yet they must not harm the development of both Martial or
Rashford.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be the modern day Eric Cantona and
he would be a massive hit with the fans.
At 34 years of age he wouldn’t be long term, but as a free agent it
would be a no brainer and would only aid the development of Martial and
Rashford to play with such a character in the game.
If Van Gaal could finished 4th and win the FA
Cup, he would have the made the majority of Manchester United fans happy and he
could leave having got his wish and delivered an English title.
It’s not all bad at Manchester United; the next few weeks
could make it that much better. However
the decisions that are taken this summer could be vital to the future of
Manchester United.
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