Manchester United Want to Sign 5 New Players to Improve Depth of Squad
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants five more signings before he considers his squad ready to compete for the top honours in the Premier League and Champions League, with depth a notable problem for the club in recent weeks despite the emergence of a strong starting XI.
United recently became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by a margin of three or more goals following comfortable victories over Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Brighton and Aston Villa. But more recently the players have looked fatigued, waning in disappointing performances against Southampton, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and West Ham.
United have impressively put themselves in strong contention for a top four place and effectively have a Champions League playoff against Leicester on the final day of the season. But Solskjaer is believed to feel he has so far still only done less than half the job he originally planned for.
The Daily Telegraph writes that the Norwegian and assistant manager Mike Phelan concluded that the squad they inherited from Jose Mourinho ultimately needed nine new signings.
For the first time in years, it has felt as though the club has had a structured recruitment plan and Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes have all arrived, but that still leaves five more new players in targeted positions that are needed
Top of that list is a right winger and Jadon Sancho is the much talked about primary choice. 90min first revealed last September that United are confident of securing a deal for the Borussia Dortmund and England star and that hasn’t changed. There is an increasing expectation that Sancho is keen to make the switch - with Dortmund prepared to sell - but only if an offer meets their satisfaction.
In addition, United are also still believed to be seeking a striker, having missed out on top target Erling Haaland to Dortmund in January, a midfielder - teenage sensation Jude Bellingham is another to have chosen Dortmund instead just this month - a centre-back and a full-back.
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish and Inter defender Milan Skriniar are among the players United have been keeping an eye on in recent weeks and months. The club has also been linked in reports with Lyon front-man Moussa Dembele and Monaco full-back Fode Ballo-Toure.
The concern is whether United, in the current financial climate amid the coronavirus crisis, will have the transfer budget to make it all possible. It has previously been suggested that a ‘considerable amount of money’ has been earmarked for Sancho, but with the club predicting an estimated £115m wiped off revenue projections for the 2019/20 season, finances will be stretched.
It is widely expected that existing players will have to be sold to increase the transfer budget, with Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Diogo Dalot available. Whether United will be successful in selling the deadwood given that other clubs are also in financially challenging situations because of the pandemic is another question.
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