Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he is going to be “ruthless” when it comes to ins and outs at Manchester United this summer.
But how ruthless does he have to be?
After a narrow, and undeserved, win against West Ham United on Saturday, Solskjaer admitted that the Hammers got away with one and it once again showed just how much work he has to do at Old Trafford to turn the Red Devils into a genuine force once again.
Here’s a reminder of what United’s new permanent head coach had to say last Friday about potential departures and arrivals this summer.
“It’s going to be survival of the fittest or survival of the best,” Solskjaer said. “That’s how ruthless we have to be. We need players here who are going to be able to take us forward. That means culture in the dressing room, what we do every single day here to make us challenge again... Liverpool and City are too far head at the moment for what we like. We played against a Barcelona team that sets the standard in European football. We’re under no illusion it’s going to be hard work and there will be some tough decisions made by me, Mick [Phelan] and the club.”
Solskjaer’s task has become a lot tougher now his interim tag has been removed, with the Norwegian coach losing four of his last six games in all competitions and United struggling to make the top four and looking like they will crash out of the UEFA Champions League at Barcelona on Tuesday.
But at least he accepts he must be ruthless, as a whole host of players look set to move on this summer.
Antonio Valencia is leaving at the end of his contract, while Ander Herrera also looks set to leave for PSG and Juan Mata appears to be heading out of the door too. Then there is Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo who both seem set to leave, while Alexis Sanchez and United will both want to move on from a nightmare 18-month spell.
So that’s six first team players potentially on the way out, but only one or two are genuine starters. A bigger overhaul is needed. Here’s a look at where United need to strengthen over the summer, as they also need to sort out David de Gea’s contract situation very quickly or run the risk of losing him too.
Man United lineup for the 2019-20 season
----- De Gea -----
---- New RB ---- New CB ---- Lindelof ---- Shaw ----
---- New DM ---- New DM ----
---- New AM ---- Pogba ---- Martial ----
----- Rashford -----
Now, Diogo Dalot can replace Ashley Young as the long-term right back, while Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have been handed new deals at center back, and Eric Bailly is around too, but their limitations have been made clear over the years. A new RB and CB are a must. In central midfield the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic have all had their ups and downs and that is the main area where United need to strengthen. Going forward, they are pretty set, especially with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in reserve. But the main thing here is clear: have a clear-out of squad players this summer and focus on bringing in 3-4 star players.
Which players should be the top targets for United? Solskjaer should aim for young, hungry players who can be at United together for a decade, while some experienced center backs are key. Bur remember: Solskjaer has been keen to promote youngsters from United’s academy whenever he can, so that may also be the route he goes down to freshen things up and Ed Woodward and United’s hierarchy would probably be fine with that given how much money Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have spent over the past five years.
Here’s a look at the players who should be their top priorities:
- Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli
- Harry Maguire from Leicester City
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace
- Declan Rice from West Ham
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio
- Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund
