After a season like no other, played mostly behind closed doors, Manchester United finished second in the Premier League, improving on last years third place finish. Achieving a semi final finish in the Carabao Cup, a quarter final place in the FA Cup and a disappointing Champions League campaign which lead to a Europa League final loss, the club is trending in the right direction. Saying that, next season is huge as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken the current squad as far as it can go. To achieve anything next season, investment from the board is needed.
A devastating cloud over the ownership of Manchester United yet again came to the forefront of fans' minds when Manchester United signed up for the European Super League. Despite the ESL not going ahead, the intention was there, with the Glazers being at the spearhead of the campaign.
Premier League Campaign
Having finished the 2019/2020 season with a lot of positivity, going undefeated from January 22nd until the end of the season. This included six wins out of nine games following project restart. The summer transfer window was yet again disappointing, failing to bring in either Jude Bellingham but most importantly, Jadon Sancho. The Sancho deal was all but done but never got over the line. Despite positives, such as Donny van de Beek and Alex Telles, the remaining signings were rushed. Amad Diallo cost a lot of money and wasn’t ready for the first team and Facundo Pellistri was the same case, although came a little cheaper. The signing of Edinson Cavani was rushed, unplanned and seemed desperate. It was so unplanned that he had to quarantine for two weeks, not making his debut until gameweek six.
Suffering a disappointing loss in their opening game at home to Crystal Palace, United travelled to Brighton and were massively dominated throughout, having to rely on VAR to get themselves a penalty after the final whistle was blown. Then came the Tottenham game at home… having gone 1-0 up within two minutes, again via penalty, United were battered 6-1 and looked awful. No passion, no desire and some awful defending saw United in tatters. After a game away at Newcastle that was even until the 86th minute until United edged ahead, they then faced Chelsea and Arsenal back to back. This is where criticisms of Manchester United intensified. After a 0-0 draw and a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, fans were beginning to get on the squad’s back. The argument was that United hadn’t had much of a pre-season and it certainly showed.
Taking one point from a possible six against Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United started an impressive period, going 13 games unbeaten in the league, drawing just three. They went from an disappointing 15th in the league to a deserved second, even enjoying a few weeks at the top. Although this undefeated run did come to an end at the hands of a dismal Sheffield United side, who only had managed one win prior to this match.
This loss again motivated Manchester United to go on yet another undefeated run, this time managing 14 league games without tasting defeat. During this run, Ole’s side enjoyed a 9-0 win over Southampton and a 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City (ending the clubs longest winning run in all competitions). The Red Devils also got revenge on Spurs, defeating them 3-1 in what would be one of Jose Mouriniho’s last games for the club.
The team very much trailed off at the end of the season, suffering back to back defeates to Leicester City and bitter rivals Liverpool before drawing with Fulham. The fans did successfully force a game to be postponed after they got onto the pitch prior to the original Liverpool game. This was in protest to the Super League proposal. They finished the season with a 2-1 victory away at Wolves. This, in turn, maintained their undefeated away record in the Premier League.
Cup Competitions
Champions League
Having finished the 2019/2020 season in third, Manchester United qualified for the Champions League. Drawn in a group involving last season’s runners up, PSG, up and coming German competitors, RB Leipzig and Turkish champions, Istanbul Basaksehir, United had an uphill battle from the start.
It started phenomenally for them, however. Travelling to Paris, Solskjaer opted to play Axel Tuanzebe against PSG, making his first appearance of the season and replacing the injured Harry Maguire. It was a gamble that paid off, as Tuanzebe pocketed both Kyllian Mbappe and Neymar, two of the world's most dangerous attacking threats. Securing a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, Tuanzebe’s performance was the stand out.
In gameweek two, they welcomed RB Leipzig to Old Trafford. With young, exciting manager Julian Nagalsmann, Leipzig were the unknown quantity in the group. Having finished third the season before and with a number of up and coming talented players, they were a threat. What played out, however, was a dominant performance from the three times Champions League winners. Finishing 5-0, United ran riot, not giving Leipzig a sniff. A Rashord hattrick topped the night off in the 92nd minute, concluding a very successful night.
Without doubt the lowlight of the Champions League campaign this season was the away fixture at Istanbul. Although United played an under strength side, the performance was shocking. Going 1-0 down to one of the most embarrassing goals conceded all season. From a United attack, the ball was cleared up the pitch to Demba Ba, who found himself unmarked in acres of space. He was the most advanced player for Istanbul and was left with no defenders goal side of him. With only Namanja Matic to outrun (which isn’t hard), Ba ran through and finished past Henderson. Even now, eight months later, we’re still wondering where the defence was.
Despite a 4-1 hom victory against Istanbul in their next game, they then welcomed PSG to Old Trafford. Following a red card for Fred, United collapsed and lost 3-1. They were well beaten, despite an impressive performance in the first game between the two in Paris. All was not lost, however. Going into the final group game, away in Leipzig, Manchester United just had to avoid defeat and they would progress out of the group. With a superior goal difference a point would have done it. Starting with five at the back, the aim was clear - avoid defeat. Two minutes into the game, however, 1-0 Leipzig. 13 minutes in, 2-0 Leipzig. 69 minutes in 3-0 Leipzig. Despite finishing 3-2, the scoreline flattered United, they were well beaten and crashed out the competition.
Europa League
Having gained the most points of any third place team in the Champions League, Manchester United were transferred into the round of 32 in the Europa league. Drawn against Real Sociedad, the tie was done after the 4-0 thrashing of the Spanish side in the first leg. A 0-0 draw was enough to get United through to the round of 16, where they drew AC Milan. After a 1-1 draw away in Milan (a 92nd minute equaliser for Milan made the second leg interesting), an impressive 1-0 victory at home to Milan saw Manchester United in the quarter-final and knock out arguably their strongest opposition.
The quarter final saw the Red Devils draw against Spanish side Granada. A pair of straight forward 2-0 victories allowed United to cruise through to the semi-finals, drawn against Roma. Despite having a name and impressing against Ajax, Roma finished seventh in Serie A and shouldn’t have caused United many problems. This certainly played out in the first leg at Old Trafford. Despite going into halftime 2-1 down, United finished 6-2 winners. Five second half goals, including a brace for Cavani, one for Pogba and Greenwood a-piece and a second in the match for Bruno saw Man United with one foot already in the final. Despite a disappointing 3-2 loss in Rome, which saw a quality performance from De Gea to keep United in the contest, they progressed to the final.
Facing Villarreal, Manchester United were understandably favourites in the final. The Spaniards had finished seventh in La Liga and on paper shouldn’t have caused United many problems. With Harry Maguire out injured, Eric Bailly came into the back line, Pogba started in the midfield pivot with McTominay and the attack saw Rashford, Fernandes, Greenwood and Cavani all start. It was a closely contested match, with an expected xG of 1.7 for Villarreal and 2.2 for United.
Going into the second half 1-0 down, Manchester United equalised and dominated the opening 20 minutes of the second 45. Unfortunately, this is where Ole’s inexperience came to hinder
Manchester United. Despite being allowed to make five substitutions, the Man United coach waited until the 100th minute to make his first change. In contrast, Villarreal had five fresh players on the pitch before United altered things. After going to penalties, United lost 11-10, with David de Gea missing his penalty to lose the tie for United. A disappointing end to what was a disappointing European campaign that started so positively.
FA Cup
Having not lifted the FA Cup since 2016 under Louis Van Gaal (what turned out to be his last game for United), the 12 time winners were overdue another victory in the competition. Unfortunately, Leicester City knocked them out in the quarter finals after a flat 3-1 loss. Knocking out Watford 1-0 and an impressive showing against Liverpool, a 3-2 victory at home, United went 120 minutes with West Ham, notching a 97th minute winner. Against Leicester they were flat, well beaten and ultimately unimpressive.
Carabao Cup
The Carabao Cup is what it is. Not many fans regard it as anything worth watching and if it were to be scrapped, there wouldn’t be much outrage. Manchester CIty had won the previous two competitions prior to the 2020/2021 season and would also run out winners this season. United defeated Luton, Brighton and Everton without conceding a goal, running out 3-0 winners twice and 2-0 against Everton. Being drawn against City in the semi-finals, the Red side of Manchester lost 2-0 in an unconvincing match. They could have played for 120 minutes and never really looked like threatening City’s goal with any real danger. Yes, it was disappointing, but is anyone really bothered about the Carabao/EFL/Carling Cup or whatever it’s called these days?
Highlights
Despite a fairly disappointing season, there were certainly some seasonal highlights. Notably, the wins away in Paris where no one really gave United a chance, the win away at Manchester City ending their unbeaten run and getting one over on a rival and certainly the 9-0 thrashing of Southampton. The Southampton game was Manchester United at their ruthless best. Despite the Saints going down to 10 men within two minutes of kick off, United were relentless. With goals coming from all areas of the pitch, penalties and own goals, United dished out Southampton’s second 9-0 defeat in as many years.
Further highlights include getting the Liverpool fixture rearranged following fan protest. As a result of the European Super League and the Glazer ownership of the club (which boiled over after 15 years of frustration), fans had had enough. Managing to get onto the training pitch at Carrington earlier on in the week and onto the Old Trafford pitch ahead of match day, United fans made their disappointment clear. A consequence of the match postponement did come back to haunt United, having to play four games within a seven day period, the message was clear. Joel Glazer agreed to a fan forum and despite limited success coming from said forum, it was the first time in which the owners had spoken to fans since taking over the club 15 years ago.
The continuation of embedding young talent into the squad was positive but certainly could have been used more. Shola Shoritire, Anthony Elanga, Hannibal Mejbri and Will Fish all made their first team debuts following successes in the academy. James Garner, Ethan Laird, Di’Shon Bernard and Tengen Mengi all had successful loans moves, as did Jesse Lingard. Going forward we need to see Elanga, Mejbri and Fish all out on loan in order to get first team experience. Garner should look to extend his loan at Nottingham Forest having been a key player for them in the second half of the season as should Mengi. Lingard, for his own career, needs to look for a permanent move away from Old Trafford. As he operates in either the same position as Bruno or Rashford, he isn’t going to get the first team football he deserves. After an extremely successful half a season at West Ham, he without doubt will be wanted by a number of clubs. With the World Cup coming up next year, Lingard would benefit from regular playing time with the view to be taken to Qatar.
Also, going the entire season undefeated away from home is a good achievement. Having no fans in the ground may have helped this as it takes the edge off ‘going away’ to the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, but the fact remains.
Low Points
Unfortunately there were plenty of disappointments throughout Manchester United’s season. Crashing out of the Champions League after such a positive start was frustrating, embarrassing and needs to be addressed. The performances against Istanbul away, PSG at home and Leipzig away were a series of massive let downs. Although making a Europa League final can be seen as a success, not to lift the trophy was a disappointment. The way they played in the first half of the final was hugely frustrating as they, on paper, should have dominated. The second best team in England should be beating Spain's seventh best team every day.
The entire debacle of the European Super League clouded United’s season, mainly because the Glazer’s were at the spearhead of the breakaway. To want to turn their back on the history of Manchester United proved how little regard they have for the club itself and it would, without doubt have negatively changed football forever. Although it is positive that it never materialised, the intention was there and cannot be ignored.
Many of the performances of the Red Devils were also disappointing. In a number of games, they went behind or entered the second half on the wrong end of the scoreline. Although they, more often than not, were able to turn it around (note the Southampton game where they started the second half 2-0 down only to win it 3-2), their luck will run out sooner or later. Constantly conceding goals from set pieces has become a real issue this season and it’s arguably as a result of Ole’s preference for zonal marking. 12 of 37 goals conceded in the Premier league have come from set pieces for United and this needs to be addressed on the training ground.
Another key low point of the season is the managers insistence on playing the same or a very similar 11 every game. Ignoring the goalkeeper situation for now, the back four has largely stayed the same, with Fred and McTominay playing in front of them. Bruno in the 10 position, Greenwood out on the right, Rashford on the left and Cavani up front. Although there has been a little rotation, there hasn’t been nearly enough. This showed massively as Man United seemed tired during the final few games of the season, with just two wins from their final six league games. £35 million Donny Van de Beek has barely featured in his debut season. Starting just four league games this season, the Dutchman has been drastically underused. Having had to withdraw from the Euros with an injury, it’s coming up to a year since Van de Beek has played any football for a prolonged period of time. Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Dean Henderson and Victor Lindelof have all travelled to the Euro’s with injuries, with Henderson removing himself from the squad and Magurie not fit enough to play in the group stages. Mason Greenwood also took himself out of contention before Gareth Southgate’s final squad was announced.
Going into the 2021/2022 Season
Going forwards, improvements to the squad need to be made. With the Jadon Sancho deal looking to be extremely likely, for a fee in and around £80 million + add ons, the focus now needs to shift to a centre back partner for Maguire, a CDM and potentially a back-up striker as the aging Cavani cannot play every game. Dream signings would be Rafael Varane, Joshua Kimmich and Pattison Daka. However, we know the Kimmich transfer would never happen and the Daka transfer is unlikely.
Varane will be allowed to leave Real Madrid this summer as his contract runs out next summer. In order to get a fee for him, he has to be sold this summer. With Chelsea rumoured to also be interested in the Frenchman, United will have a battle on their hands. SImilarly to Varane, United have looked at Jules Kounde, Pau Torres and supposedly Cristian Romero. Kounde would walk straight into the Man United starting 11 with ease. The Seville and French international has impressed this season, being selected for the Europa League team of the season, as well as making France’s Euros squad. United will have to work efficiently if they are to acquire Kounde, however, as a number of big clubs are after the signature of the Frenchman. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have all previously been interested in the Frenchman, and battling those transfer giants is something Man United will struggle to do.
Pau Torres is an option, however, whether he would get in the team ahead of Lindeloff is yet to be decided. He has a £50 million release clause which United could risk activating to receive the services of the Spanish international. At just 24, Torres has a bright future. Despite whispers of a Romero transfer, nothing is likely to happen here. The Juventus centre-half is admired by Manchester United, but there are better options available.
With little rumours with regards to a CDM it is certainly worrying for United. Matic no longer has the ability to cut it at the top level. Although Kimmich would be the perfect anchorman for United, this would never happen. Declan Rice is hugely admired by Ole and co, however, if Chelsea are interested in the Englishman, he’ll no doubt go to Stamford Bridge. Nothing has been mentioned about potentially getting Denis Zakaria, however, if he has a good Euros with Switzerland, rumours could come to fruition.
A striker also hasn’t been rumoured too heavily. With Harry Kane having handed in a transfer request, United’s interest peaked. Despite this, they won’t have the money to do a Jadon Sancho deal and a Kane deal in the same summer. With Haarland’s release clause becoming active next summer, United could be saving themselves for that. Pattison Daka could be picked up for as little as £25 and having scored 27 in 28 in the Austrian league this season, his ability is clear for all to see. He would be a solid back-up for Cavani and could break into the starting 11 with ease should he perform well in Manchester Red.
Signings we expect to happen is Tom Heaton to come in as a back-up goalkeeper. A replacement right back (probably Keiran Trippier) coming in to challenge Aaron Wan BIssaka and give him some competition and more than likely a third choice centre back. Despite John Murtough now coming in to be the footballing director at Man United, expect the transfer strategy to be the same as usual. Leave it late and get third choice. With that being said, with Ed Woodward leaving at the end of the year, there could be a change in transfer strategy.
Despite a second place finish, European final and reasonable outings in both domestic cup competitions, Manchester United’s season wasn’t a standout. Instantly forgettable, regrettable and uneventful is what it’ll be remembered by. If the necessary signings aren’t made, the club will likely take a back step next season, fail to compete for the title again and finish lower down the table than they did this season. The 2021/2022 campaign begins with a home fixture against Leeds, before travelling to Southampton and Wolves in August. At least seven points need to be taken from the first three fixtures to get off to a good start.
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