Manchester United should prioritise a striker after Jadon Sancho move

While Borussia Dortmund's rumoured deadline for Manchester United to sign Jadon Sancho edges ever closer, the Red Devils must surely be preparing for further summer signings.

Sancho is likely to set Manchester United back by at least €120 million, an amount that might be paid in installments over a 3-year period. That could mean that Ed Woodward might be forced to operate on a much smaller budget for the remainder of the window, which will likely reduce his options for other reinforcements.

Harry Maguire has considerably improved a leaky Manchester United defence following his £80 million move from Leicester City last summer. But fans and critics seem to largely agree that another centre back is needed for the club to compete at the levels of Manchester City and Liverpool.

A new defensive midfielder is also being talked about, although Nemanja Matic, who turned 32 this year, has signed a new 3-year contract. But Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should prioritise the signing of a striker before replenishing other areas of the pitch.

Manchester United lack backup options in attack

Anthony Martial has been on fire for Manchester United since the season restart.

Anthony Martial underwent an unexpected revival this season. After coming close to being sold by Manchester United last summer, the Frenchman managed to repay the faith that the club and Solskjaer placed in him.

After getting back his old number nine shirt following the departure of Romelu Lukaku, Martial scored as many goals in all competitions this season (23) as he did in the previous two campaigns combined.

Being fielded in his preferred centre-forward position certainly helped as the 24-year-old also honed his hold-up play and finishing under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's able tutelage.

Marcus Rashford helped share Manchester United's goalscoring burden with Martial while Bruno Fernandes added a spark since his arrival in the January transfer window.

Odion Ighalo was signed on loan in the winter after Rashford was ruled out of action with a long-term injury. The Nigerian international proved to be a useful substitute, scoring twice in the Europa League and thrice in the FA Cup.

But Ighalo isn't a feasible backup option for Martial as he doesn't possess the same pace or penetration as the Frenchman and also doesn't combine as well with Manchester United's other forwards.

He's already 31-years-old, and it's highly unlikely that Manchester United will sign him permanently or extend his loan deal when it expires next January.

Rashford and Mason Greenwood have both played as strikers in the past, but both of them proved this season that they are much more effective while operating from wider areas. That leaves Manchester United with no plan B when Anthony Martial is out injured, something the club needs to address at the earliest.

Manchester United need more depth in defence and midfield

Could we see a Smalling-Maguire partnership at Manchester United next season?

Victor Lindelof has had a decent season alongside Harry Maguire, but it's understandable that the Old Trafford faithful want a more solid player alongside the club captain.

Solskjaer does have a few options in defence. Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe suffered unfortunate injuries that ruled them out for most of the campaign, but both of them were impressive when they featured.

Chris Smalling has had one of the best individual seasons of his career at AS Roma. With the Italians unwilling to meet Manchester United's valuation of the 30-year-old, it seems likely that he'll return to Old Trafford to provide another useful alternative at the back.

Even with the impending sales of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones, Manchester United are relatively secure in defence.

Nemanja Matic might be on the wrong side of 30, but he probably has another good year or two left in the tank. Scott McTominay has taken massive strides forward this season, making him a more than able deputy for the Serbian.

While Fred doesn't possess the same physicality as Matic and McTominay, his ball-winning capabilities came to the fore this season.

The Brazilian averaged more interceptions per 90 minutes than McTominay and Matic in the 2019-20 Premier League. He also had 2.1 tackles per game, which is just short of Matic's 2.2 but well clear of McTominay's 1.6.

James Garner has also had a successful campaign with the reserves and has shown the maturity that is needed to play in defensive midfield whenever he turned out for the senior side.

What are Manchester United's other transfer options?

Raul Jimenez would be a fantastic signing for United

There were reports that Raul Jimenez was close to signing for Manchester United a few weeks back but the move didn't pan out. The Mexican would have been a brilliant acquisition.

Wolves will not be under pressure to sell Jimenez even though they haven't qualified for Europe (winning the Europa League is their only available route), and he's likely to cost at least £50 million after an impressive campaign.

Moussa Dembele is another option for Manchester United. The Lyon forward netted 16 goals in Ligue 1 this season. He's likely to be available for a lower fee than Jimenez and has qualities similar to those of Martial - speed, finishing, and good movement.

With Chelsea having already signed a top-class forward in Timo Werner, Manchester United need to move quickly on this front in the summer if they harbour hopes of an unlikely title challenge next season.