Manchester United NEED To Make These Two Positions a Priority This Season; Everything Else Can Wait
Manchester United need to make a new striker and a midfielder the absolute priority after their move for Bryan Mbeumo gets completed, if indeed they can find an agreement with Brentford over a move for the player. Recent reports suggest that Manchester United is still leading the race for the winger.
The signing of a talent like Matheus Cunha cannot be understated, and the expectation is he will replace Alejandro Garnacho in the United starting line-up next season, with Garnacho anticipated to leave the club in the coming weeks, with Aston Villa taking a liking to the winger as well as Chelsea.
Goalkeeper & Centre-Back Not United Priority
Many have made suggestions about Andre Onana in recent weeks, including the fact that United should be looking to replace the Cameroon international, but that situation cannot take centre stage ahead of the glaring need for two other positions. The club needs to sign a centre-forward and a midfielder to play alongside either Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, or Manuel Ugarte in the starting eleven next season; otherwise, they risk facing similar issues as they did last season.
Some have suggested signing another central defender, but the depth and defensive options from last season should be enough to see United move up the table, particularly if Licha Martinez can return early on and get back to somewhere close to the form he showed last season. United have had interest in players in defensive areas recently, with Ousmane Diomande and Jarrad Branthwaite being two names the club targeted. Diomande’s dream is a move to the Premier League, with Crystal Palace holding talks at the moment, while Branthwaite has not been a pressing topic at United for a long time. It is likely that Everton would accept a lower fee, however, as they were demanding at least £75m last season due to the price tags of Harry Maguire and Wesley Fofana.
Which Striker Should They Sign?
Regarding the striker position, if Viktor Gyokeres is making Manchester United wait while he sees what Arsenal want, United should make no mistakes in moving on to other targets. Nick Woltemade is someone a lot of clubs have begun looking at in recent weeks, particularly after an impressive hat-trick for Germany’s U21s recently, but as of now, United have registered no interest. Hugo Ektike’s admiration for United has been well documented by Fabrizio Romano, but the price tag is expected to be a hurdle, and United may not be able to leapfrog them unless they receive significant money from sales.
Midfield-wise, things have gone quiet around Ederson from Atalanta, but interest is concrete and remains there. The player will go for more than £45 million this summer, and there is expected to be an update on his future very soon, with Al Hilal remaining an option.
An Important Window
It is still an option for Rasmus Hojlund to remain at the club, as it should be. Hojlund will benefit if Manchester United improves as a team. Nonetheless, Manchester United needs to sign someone to support the number nine, preferably an experienced striker; however, this should not exclude the possibility of acquiring an exciting young talent like Ekitike.
It’s not currently felt United will aim for another right wing back at this time, with Amad likely to drop back there if Mbeumo signs, but regarding interest, Roger Fernandes has been someone the club has registered an interest in, and again, that interest remains.
A rogue one for United would be to make their interest in Julio Enciso more concrete. The club has been following the player for some time but has yet to make a proper approach to Brighton or the player to sign him.
The Reds will have an exciting few weeks as they try to sign players before Ruben Amorim’s pre-season. The manager NEEDS a full pre-season, especially with his new players, to have any chance of making next season a successful one for his team. The signings of two world-class or at least very close to world-class players in a midfielder and a striker will push United closer to the level they need to be at, and failure to land those two positions before anywhere else will set the club back even further.
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