Old Trafford has seen its share of false dawns since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in May 2013. From the ill-fated reign of David Moyes to a ‘philosophy’-based style under Louis van Gaal and the ups-and-downs under Jose Mourinho, it seems that every time Manchester United takes a step forward, something pulls them two steps back.
Undoubtedly, there are plenty of problems behind the scenes in the upper management as well which need rectifying but, for now, this article shall look at the club’s problems on the pitch and how the first transfer window of yet another new era can try to put it right.
Players That Must Leave and Potential Signings for Manchester United
Deadwood
Phil Jones
Many were surprised when Phil Jones appeared on not just the first but also the second starting eleven under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The England defender is considered to be one of the weakest players in the current Manchester United squad.
However, credit where credit is due and while a lot of stringent criticism has been thrown the way of the defender recently, Jones performed admirably in both games alongside Victor Lindelof.
It may just be the case of Ole taking one game at a time and seeing which players impress him in training, given how bad the fitness levels are in the squad at the moment, and Jones may have done just that.
Nevertheless, good showings against Cardiff and Huddersfield do not take away from his unimpressive past record and he remains one of United’s weak links. Combined with his injury problems, Phil Jones is simply a player a club like Manchester United should not have in their first-team squad.
Chris Smalling
Or Mike Smalling as he was known under Louis Van Gaal, one of the last significant acts to take place in the Jose Mourinho was the renewal of Smalling’s contract until 2022. Whether this was a Mourinho decision or one made by the board, it still remains unclear.
But it may end up having as long-lasting an impact at the club as the decision to sign Marouane Fellaini in 2013 for £5m more than what was his release-clause a week ago.
Chris Smalling is, at best, a decent backup player at mid-table Premier League club. He has had decent spells of good form at Manchester United but to even consider him close to the calibre of the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Virgil Van Dijk and Aymeric Laporte is an outrage.
He may not leave Manchester United in January, having just signed a new contract, but whoever is in charge come the summer needs to make a big decision regarding the England defender.
Marcos Rojo
South American players, especially defenders, are some of the best types of players to have in your squad. You would rather have them on your team than against your team. They play with passion, commitment and leave it all out on the pitch. Marcos Rojo is no different.
When fit, he offers a decent attacking option down the left and he isn’t the worst crosser in the squad. If he stays, it might not be the worst option in the world to stick him down the left wing and see how well he does as an orthodox winger.
It is his defensive prowess, or lack thereof, that sometimes lets his team down. Same as Phil Jones, his injury troubles see him become more of a liability to the club than an asset.
Matteo Darmian
Darmian is a solid if unspectacular player. After winning the club’s Player of the Month award in his very first month at the club in August 2016, he has failed to kick on. Now 29, it is either back to Italy or a sudden rush of life in a United shirt for the Italian. He has made only four Premier League appearances for United so far this season.
One of the most probable departures from Old Trafford in January.
Marouane Fellaini
If there was a player that symbolises or encapsulates all the problems or all the things that have been wrong with Manchester United since David Moyes took charge in 2013, it’s Marouane Fellaini.
At best, he is a decent target-man, played alongside a Tim Cahill or Nikica Jelavic. For the past few years, however, he has become the symbol of mediocrity and a style of play quite opposite to the club’s traditions.
Fans who have grown up watching Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United groan whenever Marouane Fellaini is brought on as a substitute to help United out of a sticky situation. At times, he works, at times it doesn’t.
The problem is that whenever this tactic has worked, the manager in charge has deemed it a godsend. There is no fault of the player in this situation. But the managers’ who continuously fail to understand what succeeds at the club – and it is not long balls to one player.
Potential Arrivals
Nicolas Pepe
One player from the French Ligue 1 who has caught the eye in a very big way this season is 23-year old Ivorian winger, Nicolas Pepe. Pepe joined Lille in 2017 for £9m and the winger’s market value now stands at a whopping £36m.
In his first season, he scored 13 goals with five assists. In half a season so far this year, he has almost that tally already, standing at 12 goals and seven assists.
Pepe is a dynamic young winger at Lille, a club which has produced talents such as Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet in the past. Although he won’t come cheap at this time of the year, he would certainly add even more flair and attacking intent to Manchester United.
Benjamin Pavard
Surprisingly, Pavard hasn’t been linked to United in recent days and weeks. One would think given his links to Chelsea and Liverpool, and with Manchester United needing reinforcements in defence, he’d be a natural candidate to be linked to Old Trafford.
The World Cup-winner plays at Schalke, a club struggling this season in the Bundesliga. Though there have been strong links to Bayern Munich, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Frenchman could agree to a move to United, given the chances of a brand new, permanent and attack-minded manager at the helm next season.
Pavard is someone who can play at both centre-back and right-back and be the versatile, ball-playing defender Manchester United have been crying out for since Rio Ferdinand.
Milan Skriniar
In quite the contrast to Pavard, Milan Skriniar has the potential to become the Nemanja Vidic to Pavard’s Rio Ferdinand. A tough, no-nonsense tackler who is not afraid to put his body on the line in a 50/50. Skriniar is a player who would improve any and every team in Europe at this moment in time.
The Slovak is just 23 with years ahead of him. He would not come cheap but, much like Virgil Van Dijk, he might be worth the investment.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Koulibaly has been linked a lot with Manchester United in recent weeks with a move looking more likely by the day. The Senegalese defender is still only 27 and with this best years still to come.
Napoli, by their own high standards, have been struggling this season. Keeping up with Juventus has been tough with the Turin club only dropping four points so far. If United are willing to make a splash in January, Koulibaly might just be the player that has the biggest say in whether Manchester United can make a last-ditch sprint towards the top four finish line.
Aaron Ramsey
This may be a surprise to many but the availability of a player of Aaron Ramsey’s calibre on the market cannot be ignored. Whatever his situation at Arsenal might be, there is no doubt that the Welshman would improve any team in the league right now.
Ramsey came close to joining Manchester United from Cardiff when he was 17 but chose Arsenal instead. Waiting for a free capture in the summer might be in vain given the number of clubs circling around the experienced international.
For United, January might be the perfect time to make the still 28-year old the third major player to make the jump from Arsenal to Manchester United in recent years.
Aaron Ramsey would bring a wealth of experience to United’s midfield, a midfield that has been struggling with the kind of steel and calmness and that Ramsey exemplifies.
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