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It looks set to be a big season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, after an indifferent start to his time in charge of the club.
His time as manager started so well, unbeaten in his first 12 games in charge, and winning ten of them. He also took them through to the quarter finals of the Champions League, thanks to a superb comeback in the second leg of their last 16 tie with PSG.
However, things took a turn for the worse as the season came to a conclusion. His side were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona in the quarter finals, and they fell at the same stage in the FA Cup, losing away to Wolves.
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In the league, they finished sixth, missing out on the Champions League places. They won just two of their final nine Premier League matches, and none of their last five.
Big changes were expected at Old Trafford this summer, but they haven’t quite materialised yet. So far just Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have joined United, and although they do look like good signings, there is no doubt that United need more.
It has been the same as far as moving players out is concerned. Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera have been the only senior players to depart, with any moves for either Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba yet to come around.
With less than two weeks to go until the start of the Premier League season, it is clear that United still need reinforcements. Here are five men who could move to Old Trafford by the time the season gets underway.
#1 Moussa Dembele (Lyon)
It looks likely that United will need improvements up front next season. Paul Pogba was their top scorer in all competitions last season with 16, while none of their attacking options scored more than 15. There is still a good chance that Romelu Lukaku will leave Old Trafford this summer, with Inter Milan his most likely destination.
If he leaves, then United will certainly need to bring in another striker, and one man they may move for is Lyon’s Moussa Dembele. The Frenchman has spent just a single season with the Ligue 1 side after joining from Celtic, during which he scored 20 goals in all competitions. It would still be a leap for him to join United, but he would almost guarantee goals, and he may be an excellent signing.
#2 Harry Maguire (Leicester City)
This is a saga that seems to have been running for an awful long time, and it isn’t quite done yet. Last summer, United were impressed enough by Maguire’s World Cup performances to bring him to the club, and he became Jose Mourinho’s number one target. Chief Executive Ed Woodward failed to sign the Englishman however, and it led to a fallout with Mourinho, which eventually contributed to the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ losing his job.
Now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has decided that Maguire is his man, and Woodward seems more willing to get the deal done. The stumbling block remains the asking price however, as Leicester have demanded a record £80 million for the defender, a fee United are not willing to match. The 26-year-old wants to move to Manchester though, and because of that, this deal is very much on. The form of the Red Devils’ defence last season, particularly of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, shows that this is a move they must make.
#3 Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon)
Another area United need to strengthen is in the centre of the park, where they are short of numbers at the moment, particularly after the loss of Ander Herrera, who has joined PSG on a free transfer. They will also be looking with someone who is able to provide goals from midfield, as it is something they have been lacking in recent seasons. Pogba may have scored 16 times in all competitions last season, but half of these goals did come from the penalty spot.
Fernandes showed last season that he is the man to get the goals from midfield, as he netted 31 times in 50 games in all competitions, in the process, winning the Primeira Liga Player of the Year. The Portuguese international does look to be on the cusp of leaving Sporting after appearing to make a tearful farewell following their friendly with Valencia on Sunday, amidst reports of a deal in the region of £70 million being agreed with United.
#4 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)
Whereas all the other deals look like they could be done to strengthen the current side at Old Trafford, this one may only happen if Paul Pogba was to leave Old Trafford in the coming fortnight. Milinkovic-Savic is a very similar player to Pogba, and would certainly act as a like-for-like replacement if the Frenchman does leave the club. He has been compared to Pogba in the past, as well as the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Yaya Toure.
He is very much in the box-to-box midfielder role, and he has the attributes as a player needed to excel in that role. He may have to work on his goal scoring if he were to move to Old Trafford, as a record of 31 in 161 games in all competitions for Lazio isn’t a great record at this stage of his career. He is still only 24 though, so will certainly improve in the future, and good have a major impact if he were to join United.
#5 Sean Longstaff (Newcastle United)
One thing that has been clear from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s transfer activity so far this summer is that he has looked to target young, hungry, British players. Sean Longstaff is someone who follows that theme, having broken into the Newcastle United team earlier this year. Longstaff may be a more natural replacement for Ander Herrera than someone like Bruno Fernandes, but this deal seems unlikely to go through.
New Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has no intention to sell Longstaff, while it has also been reportedthat the Magpies value the 21-year-old at around £50 million, way above what United are willing to pay for him. Even in this current transfer climate, £50 million feels like an awful lot of money for a player who has only played nine times in the Premier League, and has spent the last few months on the sidelines due to injury. He may be a good player eventually, but it doesn’t feel like a risk worth taking at £50 million right now.
