It is not a stretch to say that there weren’t many functioning parts of the Manchester United team last season. Be it the void of space in front of Andre Onana’s goal, unguarded by midfielders and often defenders too, or attacking play that thrived on chaos rather than plans.
Erik ten Hag’s coaching were not shown out in much force on the field, even if results managed to just about keep the club afloat – and that is a generous ‘just about.’ If he is to stay in charge for much longer than his contract extension then this will have to change.
Ten Hag and his staff will rightly point towards injuries as a factor for why relationships across the board weren’t formed and why it looked in most games like players had never met each other, let alone actually played football together. It is no surprise, then, that the areas they are looking at were most hit with absences last season.
Luke Shaw missed all but 12 matches, including the final three months. Lisandro Martinez on the left side of defence was equally as absent with his own fitness issues. At times Aaron Wan-Bissaka was called on to play left-back, whilst Casemiro filled in centrally. Jonny Evans played 1,300 league minutes more than anticipated, and Harry Maguire became a needed figure again despite being on the chopping board for much of the summer.
United cannot allow such matters to rear themselves again, and they are so far taking a proactive approach in trying to bolster the options. Matthijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite at the back. Ben Chilwell reportedly is an option to support and push Shaw.
Just in case United’s strange full-back activity hadn’t reached its peak. From almost taking Marc Cucurella on loan 12 months ago, to signing Sergio Reguillon, United appear to be stuck in the 2020 transfer market when it comes to defenders.
But perhaps there is logic here. Even the links and suggested talks with Manuel Ugarte make some sense. After costing Paris Saint-Germain £55million last summer, the Uruguay destroyer is apparently available again. It has been claimed that United have made a £38million offer plus add ons for the midfielder. There is a red flag in the apparent willingness to move on from Ugarte so quickly, but given the options United had in central midfield for much of 2023/24, who can blame them for having a look?
Mason Mount missed much of the year and couldn’t give a pressing shield or energy in support of his teammates, Sofyan Amrabat proved to be every bit as desperate as it looked when his loan was completed, and Casemiro was left to pick up the pieces and found himself spent before long.
