Manchester United can win the 2021/22 Premier League - Here's why

It's been eight long years since Manchester United won the Premier League, last doing so in 2013 in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season. Since then, even though United have finished 2nd twice and also third, they've never seriously threatened to win the league.

They've been gradually improving every season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. With the signings of Jadon Sancho and Rafa Varane, United finally look set to have a serious shot at winning the league.

Manchester United finally have the necessary firepower in attack

Last season Manchester United blew hot and cold in attack, thrashing Southampton 9-0 and demolishing Leeds 6-2, but also having several 0-0s in the league. 73 goals in the Premier League was a decent return, second only to Manchester City (83 goals).

This is when United never had a regular centre-forward throughout the season.

Edinson Cavani came on strong in the second half of the season, as did Greenwood, and it's fair to assume they will both be at their best from the start of next season.

Marcus Rashford's injury may be a blessing in disguise - freeing up space for Greenwood to start on the wing alongside Sancho. Sancho is a proven goal threat alongside Bruno Fernandes, who scored 28 goals last season.

Players such as Dan James, Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay will also chip in with goals. United have an array of attacking options to unlock any defense in the league and it could drive them towards Premier League glory.

Defensive problems finally a thing of the past

Whilst United might have performed well offensively last season, there were clear issues at the back. Whilst Luke Shaw and Wan-Bissaka had excellent seasons, Lindelof and Bailly did not, with the centre-back position a real issue for United.

It even briefly affected Harry Maguire's form, who is usually a model of consistency. Signing Rafa Varane solves all those problems and finally provides Maguire with a mobile, classy partner.

Manchester United never had a consistent goalkeeper last season and this unsettled the side. After a decade as first choice, De Gea was ultimately ousted by Henderson and United seemed a lot more sound defensively with the young Englishman in goal.

It's likely Henderson will be number one next season, with De Gea or Tom Heaton as back-ups, and this should provide the kind of defensive stability required to be Premier League champions.

Lessons learned from last season

Manchester United have improved progressively under Solskjaer every season. In 2019/20 they reached the semi-finals of club competitions, and last season, they reached the Europa League final. You get the sense that they are just a step away from a trophy, with that little bit of extra class missing.

Solskjaer has obviously recognized this with the signings of Sancho and Varane, who are both elite players. Varane has won every trophy there is with Real Madrid and Sancho should adapt well to the Premier League.

These signings will also allow Solskjaer to drop his conservative tactics which really dogged Manchester United last season. Two defensive midfielders are no longer needed to screen the back four thanks to Varane.

Sancho is also a conventional winger who can spearhead United's attacks and give them something they lacked last season - the ability to dribble past players.

Solskjaer will also be mindful of the fact not to give away the first goal and to be proactive, rather than reactive. It's unlikely that Manchester United will be able to repeat their comeback heroics from last season, winning 28 points from losing positions in the Premier League.

Hence, it's likely that they will be much more progressive this season, with hopefully no need to come from behind.

Solskjaer has improved as a manager since he first took over Manchester United in 2018. He's made a lot of mistakes in that time, but they've become increasingly less frequent. With all of this in mind, Manchester United fans can finally look forward to a realistic title challenge this season.