Five positions Manchester United need to address this summer - and the players they could sign

Right Wing

Real Madrid Celebrate After Victory In The Champions League Final Against Liverpool

It is hard to recall the last time the Old Trafford outfit had a notable presence on the right over the last decade or so. Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard – both naturally central players – are the two most recently used players tasked with providing width from the right. There is a severe lack of width particularly from the right, and the two names linked primarily with United are Gareth Bale and Willian Borges.

Perhaps one of the biggest signings in their history if they can pull it off, Gareth Bale has fallen down the pecking order at European champions Real Madrid and has been linked with a move to Manchester for the good part of seven years now. The Welshman is arguably part of the elite group of footballers when fit. He would provide not only a solution to the right wing problem but also the individual brilliance and goal-scoring ability that any club in the world would be privileged to have in their ranks.

Florentino Perez would demand a hefty fee for the winger who Los Blancos broke the transfer record for back in the summer of 2013. United are one of the few clubs in world football that can afford the Cardiff-born forward and he could turn Mourinho’s men into title contenders if he can keep himself fit.

Willian is the other pure right winger that has been linked to United for obvious reasons, mainly being the relationship he shares with the Portuguese coach. He’s spoken in the past of his admiration for Willian who isn’t a prolific goal-scorer but can provide energy down the right and has the work-rate and ethic that Mourinho adores. The former Chelsea winger might not be the marquee name that United would look to add to their ranks but could certainly provide a short-term solution much like Alexis Sanchez. But at 29 – at a similar age to that of Bale – the latter is most certainly to be made the top priority.