How Manchester United can become European Powerhouses

What's going wrong with Manchester United?

The biggest problem with this Man United team is a lack of leadership. This stems from Joel and Avram Glazer to the players on the pitch. The Glazer's have turned one of the biggest names in world football into a club that becomes satisfied with any sort of European qualification. Serious restructuring is needed in the club and the first place that comes from is the manager. Man United fans have fallen in love with the romanticism that is taking over world football of ex-players taking over their former club. Part of the romanticism for Man United fans is the thought that Solskjaer is a new into his managerial career but has more to learn, this couldn't be more wrong. He started his managerial career in 2010 at Norwegian club Molde. He then took over at Cardiff City in January 2014 but was sacked 8 months later after failing to stop the Welsh side from being relegated. following this, he returned to Molde in 2015 where he managed until he took the Man United job in 2018.

Who could take over and be successful at the club? The Mancunian club would need a manager who is experienced in rebuilding teams and leading them to success. Two options that spring to mind would be Eric Ten Hag of Ajax or the currently unemployed Mauricio Pochettino. Ten Hag will always have a special place in Ajax fans' hearts after he led them to a Champions League semi-final and was minutes from a final. Pochettino would be the most obvious option due to his successful work at Southampton and, more recently, Spurs. The Argentinian manager led Spurs to a Champions League final, where they had a heroic comeback against Ten Hag's Ajax, but lost to Liverpool. However, unless the Glazers or Woodward leave Manchester United, Pochettino could be an unlikely appointment. One of the reasons Solskjaer has been able to keep his job for so long, despite woeful performances that saw Man United fall to 12th in the league last season and then being outclassed by Crystal Palace, Brighton and Spurs, is that he is a 'yes man' who won't speak out against the club. During his spell at Spurs, he was not afraid to speak out against Daniel Levy when he was not happy.

"We were told look for the dope, today everyone in the Man United team were asleep" - Graeme Souness' scathing report of Man United after their 6-1 defeat to Spurs

What signings need to be made?

Starting off with the biggest problem: the defence. I think Man United need to cut their losses and cash in on the ageing David de Gea whilst they still can. The Spanish goalkeeper has been past his best for a few seasons now and at the moment they are running the risk of having Dean Henderson rot on the bench for so long that he wants to leave the club. According to transfermarkt.co.uk de Gea's market value is £45 million (as of March 9, 2020) however, if his form continues to fall, so will his price tag. As things stand, they will still make profit from him of roughly £30 million. Dean Henderson in goal is relatively low risk with him being one of the best goalkeepers of last season. Another piece of deadwood in the Man United team is Victor Lindelöf, transfermarkt.co.uk value him at £25.2 million. The Red Devils need to cash in as Harry Maguire needs urgent help because whilst he can be good, he is also prone to being wildly inconsistent. My proposed replacement: Nordi Mukiele. The defender is valued at £20.7 million but could end up costing Man United what they get from the sales of Lindelöf and de Gea (roughly £40-50 million). Luke Shaw could also be sold to raise funds (for around £15-20 million) as they would have Brandon Williams to provide cover for Alex Telles, who arrives in Manchester tomorrow for his medical.

The one possible problem that the new look defence could give Man United is that it is quite attacking with players like Alex Telles and Nordi Mukiele. That is why I have opted for a more stable 4-2-3-1 formation. Having two defensive midfielders provides United with a lot more solid defensive structure, which has worked countless times for United. Whilst the Glazers have been known to aimlessly throw money at the problem I think it is important for players who are taking up the wage bill and could be be having a detrimental effect on the dressing room. The biggest name I think Man United need to cash in on is Paul Pogba. Since returning to his parent club, he has never really lit the league on fire in the way he did for Juventus. Transfermarkt.co.uk values the French midfielder at £72 million but I could see him being sold for £80-90 million to the right bidder. This would allow to bring in two quality defensive midfielders because, at the moment, I do not see Scott McTominay as good enough but he will continue to develop grow. The first midfielder I would bring in is Wilfred Ndidi. He is valued at £40.5 million but I could see Leicester demanding £50-60 million for their star midfielder and after all, they have proved themselves capable of getting a lot of money out of Man United. I would also bring in Leeds captain Kalvin Phillips. He is valued at £10.5 million by transfermarkt.co.uk but it could be likely that Leeds demand a high amount for their captain; I would expect Bielsa to charge between £30-50 million for his midfielder. The England international would bring leadership to a team currently lacking it, would be able to play the deep lying play maker role and would allow Ndidi to play the N'golo Kante role. This is where one midfielder is allowed to tirelessly chase the ball (Ndidi) whilst Kalvin Phillips fills the gaps, intercepts passes and launches counter attacks. This was executed brilliantly by Leicester when they won the league which saw Kante chase the ball, whilst Danny Drinkwater filled the gaps. This would allow Bruno Fernandes to push forward getting more goals and assists. I would swap between Donny van de Beek and Fernandes as he has shown promising signs this season.

The front three arguably doesn't need any work but for them to become a European titan once again, they need a world class striker. Anthony Martial is a very good striker but he has been at the club since 2015 but only scored his first hat trick towards the end of last season. He is valued at £52.5 million but United could easily get £70 million+ for the French striker. If they manage this Erling Haaland is the obvious striker to go after. Once this season finishes the Dortmund striker will have a release clause of £63 million which would make him a bargain when you consider he is one of the best strikers in the world and is only 20 years old. Once given time to gel and play together, this front three could become one of the deadliest in world football. Under the right management, this team could go far.