On 6th March, Rio Ferdinand declared that “Man United are back” after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the Red Devils to a dramatic victory against Paris Saint Germain.
Since then, Manchester United’s form reads: loss, loss, win, loss, loss, win, loss, loss, loss, draw, draw, loss.
The jubilation of the Parisian comeback was soon forgotten. FA Cup elimination to Wolves followed, and United were played off the park by Barcelona at the Camp Nou to end their Champions League journey in the following round.
Such was their last season demise, they as good as ruled themselves out of the top four running when they failed to beat Chelsea on 28th April.
A draw with Huddersfield and defeat Cardiff was a fitting end to a season that was close to worst-case scenario territory.
Not only did United have to sack Jose Mourinho, while watching City march towards a domestic treble, they also missed out on a huge amount of revenue by failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Then there’s the salt-in-the-wounds part – they are the only top six side not to have either won the league or appeared in a European final this season.
Mourinho’s barbs, Solskjaer’s occasional irritability and chronic underachievement have harmed United in ways that will impact them beyond this season.
Criticism from managers damages the market value for players. The inconsistency on the pitch doesn’t exactly put them in the shop window.
With Solskjaer clearly keen to rebuild the squad, Manchester United have a limited number of assets that will be able to attract a notable transfer fee. The club’s failings, and some misjudged comments from both Mourinho and Solskjaer, have backed them into a corner.
Solskjaer has made it clear he wants to overhaul the playing staff. The question Manchester United should be asking themselves (and who knows if they are) is: why are we doing this again?
Vast amounts of money have been spent in recent seasons. Good, some very good, players have been bought. On-field performances have not improved.
Unless United acknowledge their errors in summers past, this transfer window is destined for the same results. It is easy to blame some (or maybe all) of it on Mourinho, just as it was with Louis van Gaal and David Moyes.
All of that trio deserved varying degrees of blame for the situation, but there are deeper issues at the club.
Since Alex Ferguson retired, they have lacked direction, with transfer pursuits all too often public and signings not fitting together. The last part of that sentence is the key bit of the 2019 offseason.
Manchester United have bought players like they’re collecting trading cards. Buying ‘attackers’ without thinking how they actually work together on the pitch, and hoarding players without a blueprint of how they want to play.
Having flexibility in the squad is a good thing, of course, but United’s squad hasn’t felt flexible. It has been rigid, with a back three requiring square pegs in round holes and a back four often leaving a topsy-turvy midfield.
The decision-making at the club has been, to put it mildly, peculiar. That even extends to hiring Solskjaer, who other than playing for the club, had little reason to be considered for the job.
The pursuit of a Director of Football is heading a similar way, with Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher reportedly two leading candidates for the role.
This summer is decisive for United, though it’s not the first time that’s been said in recent years. Paul Pogba might be heading to Real Madrid, Solskjaer isn’t too keen on Anthony Martial and they are already at the top of the news agenda.
Links to Gareth Bale – who they are 7/4 to sign in 888sport’s football betting – and Aaron Wan-Bissaka seem inevitable. Chasing Bale when their attack is the least of their worries just about sums up United’s recruitment of late.
Instead of new signings, clearing space in the squad should be the priority.
The defence is clogged up with players who should have been moved on years ago, and that’s the area they should be looking to strengthen most of all. They are 5/2 to sign Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.
It’s impossible to predict if anything will be different at Old Trafford. The Director of Football situation and Solskjaer’s comments don’t suggest a significant change, but they have enough financial power to make strides forward without getting everything right.
Blaming the players is easy, and they’ve not been faultless, but for a club that prides itself on its supposed identity, it is concerning that there has been no plan for several years.
While Spurs have been spending pennies, Chelsea have been in turmoil, and Arsenal in an almighty transition, the world’s richest club have been unable to make up ground.
That isn’t about desire, commitment or a player not tracking back in an end of season match.
Are Manchester United in a better position than they were when they sacked David Moyes? How many of their transfers have been successes?
United went for short-term success with Mourinho and gambled with Solskjaer. Those two hires don’t ‘fit’. Signing Alexis Sanchez didn’t make much sense, nor did Fred or extending Ashley Young and Chris Smalling.
A Director of Football is desperately needed to increase the chances of a successful summer. Hiring the right person, though, remains a challenge in itself, and few would back United to pick the best person for the job.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
