Let’s not get confused or misinformed, Manchester United are underperforming this season. Sitting in 10th at the moment with four wins, three losses and a draw in their first eight games, they haven’t hit the heights of their ‘Project Restart’ form. Luckily for the manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the January transfer window is only six weeks away. With a lacklustre performance in the previous window, with five signings coming in (of which only four have actually arrived in Manchester), the transfer strategy was non-existent. A rushed three transfers on the final day highlighted Manchester United’s need for an experienced Director of Football. As it stands, Solskjaer does a lot of the negotiations himself and it’s no hidden fact that the squad don’t have an awful lot of strength in depth. I look ahead to the upcoming transfer window and highlight the players that could become members of the Old Trafford club.
Defence
Simply put, Manchester United’s defending this season hasn’t been up to par. Gone are the days where they set the record for the longest time without conceding a goal (1,311 minutes). Especially in their performance against Tottenham (a damning 6-1 loss), some of the defending was truly comical for all United’s opponents. £80 million defender, Harry Maguire hasn’t been up to much this season with a number of underwhelming performances. He needs a centre back partner and this should be one of the main focuses for the January window. The focus should be on a left footed centre-back who possesses some type of pace. Yes, Victor Lindelof is a solid partner, but isn't a title winning centre back, especially with the injuries that he is currently suffering with.
Four names come to mind when considering who should be brought into Old Trafford. Firstly, Dayot Upamacano of RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old French international has been largely impressive for a number of seasons in the Bundesliga. Although he was shown up in Leipzig’s 5-0 defeat to Manchester United, don’t let fool you in thinking he’s not a good player. The centre-back is a solid choice and could easily slot straight into Manchester United’s starting eleven. The difficulty of this transfer, however, is that many other teams are in for Upamacano. Although there have been rumours that Liverpool were in for the Frenchman, it appears that they’re unlikely to sign a defender in January (as per The Athletic’s David Ornstein). German giants, Bayern Munich will also likely discuss a deal with Leipzig for the defender.
The second option could come from Bayern themselves. After 10 years at ‘Die Roten’, David Alaba’s contract expires next year. The centre back has consistently appeared in the starting 11, making a massive 396 total appearances. Alaba has also made 75 appearances for the Austrian national team, proving his worth. Yes, Alaba may not be the youngest player Manchester United could find but at 28 he has a number of good seasons left in him. He is ready-made for premier league football with his experience (having received two champions league medals it proves his adaptability). The experience of Alaba is really what Manchester United need to steady the ship. Valued at £58 million, Alaba could go for as little as £45 million, considering he doesn’t have long left on his contract. Although he is commonly seen as a left back, Alaba has featured 94 times at centre back.
Two players who have been rumoured to be looked at by Manchester United are SC Braga’s, David Carmo and Borussia Dortmund’s Dan-Axel Zagadou. Standing at 6’5, the left-footed Carmo would tick a lot of boxes for Manchester United. With United’s four first-choice centre-halves all being right-footed, something is clearly missing, Carmo ticks the box of solving this problem. Also, as of late, from long balls towards the centre backs, Harry Maguire has been the spare man out of the two central defenders. This is ignoring his clear talents in the air but at 6’5, Carmo would eradicate the current issue. Despite only making 27 appearances for Braga, Carmo has shown great potential. He is certainly one for the future so if Manchester United don’t notch him now, they could be in competition with other members of Europe’s elite.
Dan-Axel Zagadou is also a 6’5 left-footed centre half who is on Manchester United’s radar. The Dortmund man is much more experienced than Carmo, making 60 total appearances so far in his career. This includes 11 Champions League appearances, showing his worth to the squad. The only issue with Zagadou is his injury record. He’s played just 26 minutes since May as a result of a ruptured knee ligament. This is on top of 12 games missed last season due to injury. Since his Borussia Dortmund debut, Zagadou has missed 36 games as a result of injury at the tender age of just 21. Another issue with Zagadou is that he is a Dortmund player. This means that Manchester United and Dortmund will have to do business again, which, historically hasn’t gone well in the past. The fact that Dortmund captured both Jude Bellingham as well as Erling Haaland away from Manchester United, on top of the valuation issues with regards to Jadon Sancho prove that the relationship between Dortmund and United isn’t great.
Midfield
Unfortunately for Manchester United fans, the defence isn’t the only area that needs strengthening. On the books are a lot of promising youngsters, notably Ethan Galbraith, James Garner (who’s on loan at championship, Watford this season), Dylan Levitt (on loan at Charlton Athletic) and the £9 million 17 year old, Hannibal Mejbri. None of these players are close to Premier League level yet and this is where the issue lies. Scott McTominay and Fred do a job, but they’re not championship winning midfielders. Nemanja Matic is talented but simply put isn’t agile enough to cut it at the top level anymore. His talent is undeniable, he reads to game well and is physical enough to cut it in Man United’s midfield but not if they have aspirations of winning titles. The lacklustre performance against West Brom in the league this season, along with the damning performance away to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions league proves why Manchester United need to improve their midfield. Although the future is bright, it needs to be addressed now otherwise Manchester United won’t be anywhere near the heights their history suggest they should be.
There are two key options Manchester United should look at aside from one player that they should consider, although the move will never happen. The player that they need to consider is Declan Rice. The England international and West Ham standout is the perfect player for the Manchester United system. No, he doesn’t contribute with regards to goals and assists (one goal and three assists in 38 Premier League games last season), but that isn’t what his job is. He’s an out and out defensive midfielder and one that can (if necessary) fill in at centre back. At just 21, he’s already made 16 international appearances and is without doubt one for the future. Why won’t Manchester United get him? Simply put, he’s a Chelsea target. Chelsea always seem to get their man, especially when the player has been at the club previously (eight years in the youth set up).
As United won’t get Rice, who should they look at? The two options are the young Swiss international, Denis Zakaria from Broussia Monchengladbach and Rennes, Eduardo Camavinga. Both of these men are ready for the step up to the premier league from their respective clubs and could certainly cut it in England. Zakaria in particular is a phenomenal talent at just 24. He’s made 28 appearances for the Swiss international team, represented them at the 2018 World Cup and is a regular starter in the Bundesliga. Although he’s been injured all season, Zakaria returned for 89 minutes this weekend in a 1-1 draw. Yes, Manchester United don’t have the best transfer record as of late but it’s an opportunity to do business with a new client. United and Monchengladbach haven’t done business in a number of years and United also don’t have any players under the LIAN Sports Group agency, of which Zakaria is a part of. Why would this transfer not happen? Form a Manchester United perspective, he’s the player to look at. For Zakaria and Monchengladbach there are options, with Manchester City and Bayern Munich also rumoured to be interested in the defensive midfielder.
Rennes exciting young midfielder, Eduardo Camavinga is on the list for a number of Premier League sides in January. The 18 year old is already a French international and is also a regular feature in Rennes starting 11 in Ligue 1. What do we know about Camavinga? He’s a solid talent who plays as a defensive midfielder but can play slightly more forward in the traditional centre midfield role. He provides a lot of options for defenders to pass to and is comfortable on the ball, allowing for whatever team he plays in to play out from the back efficiently. With his age, he’s always progressing and is becoming one of the most watched players in Europe. The issue for Manchester United, again will be the interest of other teams. Real Madrid and Tottenham are rumoured to be interested in gaining the Frenchman’s signature. Despite this, he has suggested that he’s happy at Rennes and is likely to stay for at least the rest of this season. Manchester United could do a ‘Hakim Ziyech’ type deal where they sign him in January but he doesn’t join the club until the summer and is an option that should be explored.
Another potential could be to pick up where they left off in the summer and attempt to secure Jadon Sancho. This deal was close in the summer but the valuation of the player was too different between the two clubs. Unfortunately for Manchester United, Sancho plays in a position that they’ve struggled to fill full-time this season and it's clear for all to see. Post project restart, Mason Greenwood made the right hand side position his own and did well. The problem with Greenwood is that he doesn’t track back efficiently enough which was highlighted in the Brighton game earlier this season. He left Aaron Wan-Bissaka exposed often during that game and it was obvious that he isn’t quite ready yet to play regular first team football. He has his whole career ahead of him, however, so there is no rush for Greenwood to become the finished product just yet. Juan Mata has played in the right hand side position regularly this season and this tells you everything you need to know about the struggles at Manchester United. The 32 year old has never been blessed with pace, despite Ole seemingly favouring a counter attacking style of play, contradicting his picking of Mata. Donny Van de Beek hasn’t been given the chance under the manager either, despite being capable of playing in the right hand side position also. Manchester United need to go in with a reasonable offer for Sancho if they’re going to re-open negotiations. If the bid is rejected, simply put they need to drop it and move on. There is little point wasting time putting all their eggs in Sancho’s basket when it isn’t the only position that needs working on.
Forwards
As of yet, Manchester United’s forwards haven’t been firing. Summer signing, Edison Cavani arrived at the club not match fit and has only featured as a substitute in the league, scoring off the bench against Everton. Anthony Martial has also been way below par this season and it’s become clear that he isn’t sufficient at playing with his back to goal. He’s yet to score in the premier league although he has notched two goals in the champions league. Last seasons January loan, Odion Ighalo has made 22 total appearances for the Red Devils, scoring five goals. He’s set to leave the club in January and return to China. He did a job but at 31 was never going to set the world alight at Old Trafford.
Manchester United need to look at signing a new striker to take the emphasis and pressure off Martial. Cavani is a good option off the bench and is a guaranteed goal scorer, however, is only on a one year contract with the option of a further year. There are two options that Manchester United could look into signing in the forward position. Firstly, Torino’s, Andrea Belotti. At 26, Belotti is yet to play outside of Italy but he certainly has the ability to cut it at a higher level. His best season at Torino saw him notch 26 league goals in 35 appearances and this season he’s trending towards a similar total, scoring six goals in seven games already. The Italian international regularly scores over 10 goals a season, with 22 goals in all competitions last season. It was rumoured that Manchester United were looking at Belotti during the summer but on this occasion nothing came to fruition. Torino are reliant on Belloti for goals and have been for a number of seasons, meaning that he is potentially attempting to do too much in order to get his team a goal. If he signs for United, there will be less pressure on him, allowing him to possibly prosper when he isn’t being relied on so heavily. Belotti could be picked up for as little as £30 million, especially with Torino currently in one of the relegation spots in Serie A.
Another option up front would be Moussa Dembele currently of Lyon. The 26 year old has already had experience of playing in England, having signed for Fulham at aged 16. With 64 total appearances for Fulham, he signed for Celtic, notching an impressive 51 goals in 94 games. He returned to his homeland and signed for Lyon, again achieving an impressive scoring record. With 44 goals in 95 games, including helping Lyon to the champions league semi-final, scoring two past Manchester City in the quarter final last season. As it stands, Dembele is yet to suffer from injuries that will keep him out of action, which is always a plus for any team. At 24 years old, Dembele is yet to make the French national squad, despite having a prolific record (13 goals in 25 games) for the under 21 team. Manchester United were rumoured to be interested in Dembele last summer but as we know this never came to anything. Despite being valued around £36 million, United could be forced to pay much more for the Frenchman. Lyon are set to have a fight on their hands to keep their star forward, Memphis Depay, with Barcelona keen to gain his signature. Ronald Koeman wanted Depay at Barcelona in the summer, even agreeing personal terms with the former United man. The chances of Barcelona being able to raise the funds to sign Depay are questionable, however. If they are, it would leave Lyon with just the one option up front, Dembele. If Manchester United are going to get Dembele’s signature, it would be better to do it sooner rather than later as they could pay over the odds for the Frenchman should Depay head for the exit door.
Will any of these transfers actually go through? As of yet, it's unclear if Manchester United are in talks with any of these players. The key options should be to look at a left-footed centre back, filling in the gaps that have become clear this season. Last season's success in the January transfer window saw Manchester United gain third position in the league, thanks to Bruno Fernandes. If any singings can have the same impact as the Portuguese midfielder, Manchester United fans will be in for a treat in the new year.
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