In this series, we will analyse teams, identify problem areas, and suggest solutions in the form
of incoming players. We won’t follow gossip, rumours or conjecture. We’re concerned only with
a player’s on-field performance and their suitability for the role in question.
Today’s team is Manchester United, welcome to Sensible Transfers.
Manchester United are now under the new management of Erik ten Hag. The 2021-22 season was extremely
disappointing, leaving the club without a trophy and without Champions League football.
The consequence of that, in concert with the flux and uncertainty resulting from a change in coach,
is that while United remain an attractive destination, they don’t possess quite the
reach that they once did and we’ve tried to reflect that in these selections.
But there are still plenty of positions to improve. In fact, there are very few
areas in which they couldn’t and so while we’ve limited ourselves to three picks in this video,
it’s with the acceptance that it could have been many more.
During his time at Ajax, ten Hag had the benefit of one of the world’s most balanced full-backs
in Noussair Mazrouai, who is outstanding with and without the ball and would have
been a perfect solution. Unfortunately, he’s recently joined Bayern Munich, leaving us
looking for someone who possesses the technical qualities that all ten Hag full-backs share,
but offers a significant attacking improvement on Aaron Wan-Bissaka
and an upgrade on Diogo Dalot, who is really more of rounded back-up than a long-term starter.
Academy product Ethan Laird is an exciting prospect. He enjoyed a generally excellent
loan spell at Swansea last season, playing as wing-back and showing a burst of acceleration
and range of skill which indicated a very bright future. He was recalled mid-season
and sent to Bournemouth, but barely featured. It suggests that while he fits the profile of
a ten Hag full-back and might impact the recruiting strategy in this area,
he still requires further experience, not least of playing in a back-four and as an actual full-back.
So, he’s one for the future, but Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong would be an
excellent option now. Frimpong is aggressive and exciting with the ball at his feet,
and is the kind of high-volume dribbler who can manufacture opportunities in the attacking third.
He’s quick enough to be a threat even from a standing start
and seems accomplished when driving off the touchline and into central areas.
Frimpong would be a highly sensible transfer – but
so too would Lyon’s Malo Gusto and he’s our first choice.
Gusto is taller than Frimpong – 179cms to 171cm– and wouldn’t be such a concern when required to
defend close to his centre-backs. He is also excellent with the ball
and would provide a similar attacking contribution,
curing one of the problems that United have encountered with Wan-Bissaka. In contrast,
Gusto is a reliable passer across all distances and is much more of an asset in possession.
Manchester United are unlikely to ever be quite as dominant as ten Hag’s Ajax,
so defensive security is more of a concern with his full-backs now, but Gusto is a strong tackler
who appears disciplined positionally and who, at just 19, has many years of improvement ahead.
During his time at Ajax, ten Hag’s midfield went through several stages of evolution
and never had a predetermined formula. The focus, instead, was on finding the right chemistry. At
different times, ten Hag used Edson Alvarez, Frenkie de Jong and Lisandro Martinez as the
deepest man in his midfield, all of whom are contrasting players with different strengths
and who, collectively, describe the lack of rigidity in the department’s construction.
Ten Hag also alternated between a single and double pivot, too,
meaning that composition matters, not necessarily personnel or shape.
Whatever ten Hag builds at United, it will not involve Paul Pogba, who has left a free-transfer,
or Nemanja Matic, who has joined Roma. Donnie van de Beek prospered under ten
Hag at Ajax so he’s presumed to have a future and will compete with Fred for the No.8 role,
while Bruno Fernandes is a certain starter in attacking midfield
and Scott McTominay can provide cover in the deeper positions.
The good news is that United seem to have succeeded in reuniting ten Hag with de Jong,
who will move to England from Barcelona. That likely still leaves the squad short
of a midfielder, perhaps one with strong defensive attributes, but it would be better to see how this
new midfield takes shape – and how de Jong is used – before suggesting any further additions.
This summer promises plenty of departures at Old Trafford. Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Juan
Mata will all leave, leaving an injury-plagued Marcus Rashford, an out-of-sync Jadon Sancho
and the still developing Anthony Elanga as the only options either side of Cristiano Ronaldo.
With Edinson Cavani also leaving, United could also do with a new centre-forward,
but with Ronaldo’s position virtually guaranteed until the end of his contract,
big expenditure on another goalscorer seems unlikely.
On the right side of the front-three, however, one option might be to reunite ten Hag with Hakim
Ziyech, who he coached so successfully at Ajax but who is yet to really establish himself at Chelsea.
Ziyech is a useful attacking component who understands the tactical quirks of
ten Hag’s football. His flair and shot volume are well-known strengths, but – additionally – he’s
a highly progressive passer who can provide the kind of penalty box supply that United’s
stuttering attack has often lacked and he’s also an excellent free-kick and corner taker.
United managed just seven goals last season from set-pieces, the third lowest
in the Premier League, so improvement and variation in that area is urgently required.
But, while Chelsea and Manchester United have done deals in the past,
Ziyech is hardly redundant at Stamford Bridge and this might be a difficult transfer to complete.
Instead, then, we’re picking Serge Gnabry,
whose contract at Bayern Munich is entering its final year.
Gnabry has developed into an outstanding player for club and country over the past
few seasons. He’s reached double-figures in each of the last four Bundesliga seasons,
as well as averaging over a goal every two games for the German national team.
But Gnabry is one of the game’s premiere wide forwards and one eminently suited to playing for
ten Hag. His pressing is dependable and smart and that’s a quality United desperately need.
In fact, their inability to exert pressure on the ball from their forward positions
has been openly mocked in the past, particularly in games against their biggest rivals,
and with Cristiano Ronaldo contributing little out of possession,
Gnabry has a range of tendencies that can remedy those issues.
And he also carries a broad attacking threat, which is not just described by
his goals and assists, but also his capacity to beat defenders, penetrate attacking areas,
and to be regularly available as a passing option within the attacking zones.
He is a right sided player and that’s where he’s built his reputation,
but Gnabry is accomplished across the other two positions in a front-three too, particularly on
the left, and that would provide a positional dexterity that ten Hag doesn’t currently have.
It would also allow Jadon Sancho to move full-time to the right-hand side, his more regular home at
Borussia Dortmund, which could be key to unlocking the kind of levels he achieved in Germany.
So, Gnabry would be an excellent option. If he is to leave Bayern Munich, it’s unlikely
to be for another German club. In addition to which, his contractual situation offers a rare
opportunity to sign a player who would otherwise be unavailable or, at best, extremely expensive.
He is our final pick and these have been our Sensible Transfers.