Manchester United was undoubtedly the greatest Premier League club for over two decades, winning 13 of the first 21 league seasons and finishing in the top 3 positions for 22 years straight. But the club and its reputation have crumbled over the last ten years.
The decline is believed to have started with the retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex has never been adequately replaced, and this has been reflected in the club’s disappointing lack of silverware.
There is a sense of optimism for the 2022-23 season with Erik Ten Hag replacing Ralf Rangnick, who clearly was not the man for the manager’s job. Even though a new manager can help the club achieve the goals demanded by the fans, one man can not do it on his own. The players need to take responsibility for the results on the pitch, and for many people, this is where the problem lies.
Playing for a club with such a fantastic history should be the highlight of any footballer’s career, but many of the current squad seem indifferent and regularly underachieve. The summer pre-season preparations will be instrumental for Ten Hag, and he will have to make some easy and tough decisions to make if the club is to stand a chance of winning any competitions in the upcoming campaign.
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Which Players Need to Leave The Club?
The current squad is just not good enough to challenge Manchester City or Liverpool for domestic honors. This summer will see many departures from Old Trafford. Leading the list of players leaving is Paul Pogba, the French international player who has been a highly controversial signing. Pogba has talent nobody doubts that. He has been in poor form for Manchester United, and his expected free transfer to Italian giants Juventus or Paris St Germain is inevitable.
Also leaving the club on a free transfer this summer will be Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, and Lee Grant. With the departure of these players, the club will save millions of pounds in wages. This money will be made available to Ten Hag to sign fresh new talent. It is widely believed that Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, Dean Henderson, and DiogoDalot are also heading towards the exit. The club is believed to be open to offers on the team’s captain Harry Maguire who has had an abysmal year for the club.
Who is Believed to be The Transfer Targets of Ten Hag?
With the departure of so many players, the club will need to replace them. Which players are targets for the new manager? With so many positions to fill, it is hard to say which is the priority, with the party-loving, casino online fan, and playboy Paul Pogba’s midfield position should be high on the agenda. Recent media reports suggest Manchester United is interested in signing Lazio midfielder Sergey Milinkovic-Savic who would be able to fill the role Pogba should have done.
Also heavily linked with the club is attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen, who is currently on loan at Brentford. Frenkie de Jong, at present playing for Barcelona FC, is another midfielder Manchester United is keen to sign this transfer window.
With the midfield being restructured, United can continue to look at bolstering the defense. Feyenoord’s left-back Tyrell Malacia is reportedly on the verge of signing for thirteen million pounds. The Ajax central defender Lisandro Martinez has expressed a desire to play for Ten Hag, but United is yet to make an official offer for the player.
With a lack of goals last season, Ten Hag will be keen to add another forward for the coming campaign. Brazilian forward Anthony Matheus dos Santos is seen as a potential target, and his quality is well-known to Ten Hag.
