Manchester United is one of the most-followed and decorated football clubs, and the club has boasted tremendous success in the English Premier League, winning it 13 times, which is 8 more than the next club Chelsea. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, everything has changed dramatically. Man Utd in Premier League era under Ferguson never finished below the third position, but following his departure, they failed to qualify for the Champions League twice, which is a disaster for the level of the club, no matter how tough the competition is.
Five years after the departure of a great manager, for the first time, they managed to finish second in the League. That looks like an improvement considering their previous four seasons, but the football being played by the Red Devils is being criticized as they lack their former identity for playing attacking football. It doesn't matter what style of football is being played until the club manages to add silverware, which is not the case that is why the criticism is being laid on them.
Man Utd signed three players this summer: Diogo Dalot is young and it is yet to be known what he brings to the team at the Premier League level. Fred has established himself a decent reputation in the Ukrainian League with Shakhtar Donetsk and the third signing Lee Grant will be a third-choice goalkeeper after De Gea and Sergio Romero. They have managed some early business before the World Cup, but they lack leadership and depth in certain areas that should be strengthened otherwise it will be difficult to compete against the likes of Man City and Liverpool, who look frightening with their squad and certainly are top contenders for the title this year. To win the Premier League back and to compete in all the major competitions, Man Utd should strengthen their squad in certain areas that we are focusing on.
Left Back
Jose Mourinho often played Ashley Young in that position, in which he had mixed performances, but he definitely is not fit for that as the team needs out and out crossers coming down the flank and Young failed to deliver that threat, which is one of the reasons why Lukaku had a dull season last term.
Luke Shaw was definitely a potential talent available for the team, but Jose Mourinho has never utilized him enough and it might not change under Jose Mourinho as it seems like he doesn't like him.
Marcos Rojo is an option in that position, but the same problem he seems to have is like Ashley Young as he doesn't serve enough pace and attacking threats while moving forward.
Alex Sandro
Alex Sandro is the type of player who perfectly fits the bill for Man Utd, who is physically strong in the air and defends well he posses an attacking threat that makes him the player Man Utd is lacking at the moment.
Centre Back
The best options for a centre-back pairing are Eric Bailly and Victor Lindeloff as time should end for Jones and Smalling, whose errors cost so many matches for Man Utd if not for the presence of De Gea it would be even worse.
Lindelof has been overlooked by Mourinho last season and that could probably change after his performances in the World Cup. Bailly was out most of last season due to injuries. This means the team has no settled or reliable back-pair and they need someone with a commanding figure and posses an aerial threat during set-pieces that have been missing since the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
The following are some players Man Utd should consider in this department.
Harry Maguire
A towering 6' 4" and a breezeblock-sized forehead he is the type of player strikers will fear to battle against, he can be an immense threat while moving forward during set-pieces, which we all saw how good he can be at setpieces during England's game against Sweden.
Leonardo Bonucci
He is the sort of guy whom Man Utd is missing since the departure of Vidic and Ferdinand, he is commanding, and he has the experience and one of the key figures during his Juventus days Man Utd should consider signing him rather than playing Smalling and Jones.
Another player who is doing rounds linking with Man Utd is Toby Alderweireld he is probably a good addition and had a decent World Cup but it seems Tottenham are demanding too much for him which we consider for that amount of money Man Utd can get a better player than him.
Right Winger
In the most critical area where Man Utd has been severely lacking quality out and out wingers for many years, United has had some of the greats played in that position, but the team's lack of creativity and attacking threat in recent years is one of the reasons it is down to this void the team is having. They have some raw talent like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford and a mature player like Alexis Sanchez who are decent options and a threat coming from the left-hand, Juan Mata is often utilized in that position, but he doesn't possess the speed and strength to be a top-class winger, so there is an improvement needed on this flank.
Here are a few options for the team to consider.
Ivan Perisic
Nobody, including Mourinho, knows why Ivan Perisic's transfer to Man Utd did not materialize last year: "I don’t know why he didn’t come to Manchester when I wanted him," Mourinho said to a Russian TV channel during the World Cup.
Ivan Perisic is one of the few footballers who can play with both feet, and he had a wonderful World Cup scoring three goals and an assist to his name. He is 6' 2" which is an added advantage as Mourinho likes tall players. His work rate is also high, he can play on either side of the pitch these qualities make Ivan a perfect player for the Premier League, and there is no doubt some of the clubs are already eyeing him. Manchester United needs to react quickly if they want to sign him because he is in great demand right now that any delay can haunt them if a Premier League rival captures him.
Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale can win matches single-handedly and he does that time and again. He had a brilliant game in the recent the Champions League final in which he scored one of the best goals in the Champions League's history with a sensational overhead kick. He is definitely the best right winger at the moment. If he is available then they should bring him no matter how much he costs.
Manchester United wanted the Welsh man since he was at Tottenham but every time there was a stumbling block in their pursuit at first it was due to the playing time he went to Tottenham then after his sensational season attracted Real Madrid's interest which he couldn't resist to turning down.
After all the excitement that he might consider a move back to the Premier League, the departures of Zidane and Ronaldo, it is difficult to sign him unless Real goes out spending hugely on some star players that might happen to fill the void left by Ronaldo.
But he considers Man Utd as a second option after Real Madrid, so if the Man Utd management wants to sign only him for that position they can end up with Déjà vu.
There are many rumours other than the above-mentioned players a couple of them are Neymar and Mbappe but these transfers may not happen thinking logically. How can PSG let two of the upcoming contenders for the Ballon d'Or? Even if it is possible to sign them it requires an extraordinary amount of money which might well eliminate the two transfers completely from their book.
So, readers, what do you think are there any better options for them? Share your thoughts with us.