MU can no longer "wait for rabbits to hug trees" and rely on Qatari owners to take over the club and inject money to buy players. Therefore, manager Erik ten Hag had to take a step forward by temporarily building a framework for the new season.
MU officially bid farewell to goalkeeper David de Gea yesterday. Andre Onana is on his way to join Old Trafford as a replacement for the Spanish star. After the successful transfer, Erik ten Hag can be confident about his team's goalkeeper for the upcoming season. Onana is a former student of the Dutch manager during their time at Ajax, so Ten Hag knows him very well.
Onana may not have the same reflexes as De Gea, but he plays calmly and has excellent judgment and positioning. Especially, Onana is very good with his feet and can become the first link in the attacking football system that Coach Ten Hag wants to build. Moreover, Onana is more stable and makes fewer mistakes than De Gea. Therefore, the change in MU's goal can be seen as a positive move.
In the plan that Coach Ten Hag presented to MU's leadership at the beginning of the season, he needs another top-class center-back to replace Harry Maguire, who will undoubtedly be pushed out of Old Trafford in the coming days. The Red Devils have previously negotiated with the representative of center-back Kim Min-jae (Napoli). However, it seems that this target has slipped out of their reach. There are reports that the South Korean star recently passed a medical examination with Bayern Munich.
Although they couldn't acquire Kim Min-jae, MU shouldn't be too worried. In fact, Coach Ten Hag already has a very good pair of center-backs in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. The Dutch manager wants to have an additional player in this position just as a backup plan. Therefore, MU's pursuit of another center-back can be relaxed, even waiting for the new Qatari owners to officially take over. Meanwhile, the wings of the Manchester club already have many talented players like Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, Tyrell Malacia, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
As of now, MU's midfield can be considered complete according to Coach Ten Hag's plan. If the Red Devils continue to play with a 4-3-3 formation like last season, the positions of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are untouchable. The remaining spot in midfield will be reserved for new signing Mason Mount, who joined Old Trafford from Chelsea for a transfer fee of £60 million. In theory, this midfield lineup is more balanced than the previous season. However, Mount needs to quickly prove his talent. Otherwise, his position will be threatened by the "old ghosts," especially midfielder Christian Eriksen.
In MU's front three, two winger positions have already been filled. Marcus Rashford proved his talent last season, becoming the number one goalscorer for the Red Devils with 30 goals in all competitions (not to mention his 11 assists). On the other hand, Antony still has a lot of work to do to prove himself worthy of the nearly €100 million transfer fee that Manchester United had to pay to Ajax.
The only remaining position and the top priority in MU's summer transfer campaign is the striker position. Coach Ten Hag truly needs a top-class "number 9" to complete the attack. MU had targeted Harry Kane but had to give up due to the high transfer fee demanded for the English international. In case there is no change in ownership, the Red Devils also don't have the funds to buy high-profile forwards like Victor Osimhen (Napoli) or Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt). Therefore, MU must look for strikers that meet the criteria of being talented, affordable, and available.
Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta is the ideal choice. The English media confirms that Manchester United has been in negotiations with the Italian club, and things have been going smoothly. The transfer fee for the 20-year-old player is predicted to be around £50 million, a figure that MU's financial capability can currently meet. It is not ruled out that in a few days, the Red Devils will finalize this deal.
If that happens, in theory, MU's squad for the 2023/24 season will be more balanced and stronger than the previous season, although it remains to be seen what they can achieve in the two main competitions, the Premier League and the Champions League.
