Manchester United may have blown over £150m in the summer transfer window after returning to the Champions League – but there is still a justified feeling that the team lacks quality in too many positions.
The United management chose to prioritise the central midfield team during the summer break, after Casemiro disappeared and Manuel Ugarte suffered a long-term injury during Uruguay’s World Cup qualifiers.
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The Red Devils brought in three new players to the position – Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba – and with Kobbie Mainoo already in place, and still flourishing following the departure of Ruben Amorim, this is now an area that is well occupied.
Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount can both fill the number 10 role, while Michael Carrick has plenty of options as a winger when everyone is injury-free.
The holes United still haven’t closed
In other areas, however, there are clear shortcomings – including in both back positions and potentially also in central defence.
The team has already been questioned defensively this season. Eight back-to-back wins in five Premier League games, combined with plenty of questionable moments from the first-choice defence, have set tempers boiling.
The club wanted to bring competition for Luke Shaw at left-back during the summer, but key player Lewis Hall ended up staying at Newcastle and signed a new contract, while Alejandro Balde also stayed at Barcelona.
United don’t just lack competition on the left either – on the opposite wing, Diogo Dalot has little to contend with. Meanwhile, the partnership between Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez has been called into question, with Matthijs de Ligt still injured and Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven not doing enough to break up the duo.
United’s first choice in defence – year by year:
- Luke Shaw (2014)
- Lisandro Martinez (2022)
- Harry Maguire (2019)
- Diogo Dalot (2018)
Trouble is also at its peak
It’s not just in defence either. In the striker position, first-choice Benjamin Sesko has yet to make a single Premier League start this season. He first fought his way back from injury, before a new problem put him out of Slovenia’s games during the ongoing international break.
According to TEAMtalk, United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is personally leading the hunt to bring Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane back to the Premier League – but he seems to be failing, at least for now.
England’s captain’s contract at the Allianz Arena expires at the end of the season, but the Bundesliga giants are increasingly confident of agreeing new terms with the world-class striker – and thus keeping him in Germany.
Kane would be a huge signing for United
Man United fans don’t exactly feel at their best these days, considering the performances they’ve witnessed lately. But there’s no doubt: Kane would be a transformative signing for the club.
He may be 33 years old now, but he continues to show that he is one of the planet’s best goalscorers – which is underlined by the fact that he is a candidate for the Ballon d’Or in 2026.
Kane’s record for Bayern is insane, and he is still on his way to 100 goals for England before he hangs up his boots. Currently, he stands with 87 goals for the Three Lions.
Harry Kane’s impressive stats for Bayern Munich:
- Appearances: 154
- Starts: 138
- Goals: 152
- Assists: 34
Current Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes has been by far United’s best signing in recent years. But Kane would be the first player to seriously threaten that record – and probably surpass the Portuguese international, given his status in English football.
The striker would arrive at Old Trafford with a guarantee of goals and performances to be proud of. He would become the talisman for a United team that finally wants to fight its way back to the elite.
That may not happen in the next 12 months. However, if Ratcliffe succeeds in bringing Kane to the club within the next two years, he will regain a lot of respect among the club’s fans.
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