Premier League 2018-19: 3 Issues Manchester United need to fix before the next summer

Manchester United are arguably one of the biggest and richest clubs in the world. These recent years of unimpressive football can't hide the fact that they are monstrous when it comes to being one of the best in the business.

They haven't played the same way they used to play before Sir Alex retired. One cannot even deny the fact that they haven't had money to buy players when they required to. There have been even complaints that they have been paying far too much to average players since Sir Alex left.

So the matter of the fact is that they have played poorly over the past couple of years and have recently sacked Jose Mourinho, who couldn't take United to the level he was expected to and certainly was signed for.

Manchester United took a more safe approach by taking time in deciding who they think can take the club forward and for the time being have appointed 'Ole Gunnar Solskjær' who has been taken on loan from his parent club Molde F.C for the rest of the season with an option to permanently buy him in the upcoming summer.

Manchester United are a club in disarray and are looking for a new beginning from the next season as they look to build their own path to the top which they certainly lacked in these past several years.

There are many problems in the club at this point but today we can at least discuss three major problems they need to fix quickly. Next up are some of the key factors or problems that they need to quickly address to have any hope of getting back to the top.

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#1 Defense

Cardiff City v Manchester United - Premier League

United clearly need to get some top defenders added to their squad before the next season even starts. They definitely got 2 transfer windows to work out together and solve this problem as they got the January transfer window and the summer transfer window to workout.

They have conceded way too many goals this season which wasn't the case for sure over the last few seasons. They have even conceded some own goals thanks to Phil Jones against Valencia in the champions league.

They arguably have got one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the form of David De Gea but they haven't had any quality defenders to stand in front of him. This is the reason there hasn't been a single defender who had nailed his place in the defensive unit of the team.

They have recently renewed the contract of Chris Smalling but it doesn't seem like he can be the starter in a club looking to challenge for a Premier League or UEFA Champions League.

United also have Marcus Rojo, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Erik Bailly who have shown flashes of what United need but haven't been able to sustain that form either due to poor performances or due to getting injured from time to time.

Manchester United needs to figure out at least two world class defenders which surely will not come easy but they need to act fast if they want to have any title challenging hopes next season.

#2 Fix the contract situations

David de Gea of Manchester United in action in the Premier League

Manchester United have recently failed to renew the contracts of many players which is the reason David de Gea is set to become a free agent in the near future which would be a big loss for Manchester United if it were to happen and he leaves for free.

Still many believe the exact and real reason for so many players not willing to sign longer contract extensions was due to Mourinho's stay at the club. Now many believe that the players might be willing to sign long contract extensions, now that Mourinho has left the club.

Well, certainly Manchester United have not taken the risk and have already gone on to activate the one-year extension option for certain players namely Anthony Martial.

Many fans believed this was a situation created due to Jose Mourinho as he used to call players out directly in the media commenting on their performances, which obviously the players didn't like and were reluctant to commit their future long-term due to this Mourinho situation.

Many reports even say that now David de Gea is getting closer to signing a contract extensions with the club in the near future. All in all, it is a very difficult phase for United, one which they need to solve before the upcoming season otherwise it could all fall apart.

#3 Leadership problems

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

When Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho everyone had the same question: Whether Manchester United will appoint a caretaker or a full-time permanent manager. Well, they decide to go with the caretaker option by appointing 'Ole Gunnar Solskjær' for the rest of the season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is a former United striker and a fan favorite, so it bodes well to the situation that the United front office bought some time so that they could decide which candidate would be the fittest for the season.

He is on a season-long loan from Molde F.C and the club has the option to permanently buy him in the upcoming summer if they think he is the one who can take them forward. He definitely has his work cut out if he wants to be the permanent manager of Manchester United.

There are several options that are going to be considered while making the choice for the boss of the Old Trafford side. Mauricio Pochettino, Zidane, Conte are some of the options that are likely to get considered this summer.

Another position that is being severely thought of is the post of "Director of Football" which can have a key role in cutting the gap between the Manager and the Executive of the club, Ed Woodward. Ed Woodward has been heavily criticized for not bringing defenders to the club and ultimately is seen as one of the reasons in costing Mourinho his job.

So, Manchester United needs to address these three issues as quickly as they can to make themselves good enough to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.