Forget Sancho, this Reds side has more desperate priorities
ALL summer long, the record has barely changed – United are interested in signing Jadon Sancho.
It’s a line fans have heard a thousand times, to the point of boredom, though it did not feel especially relevant during a frenetic 3-2 victory over Brighton on Saturday lunchtime.
The adopted mantra from United and many of their followers is that the right wing drastically needs attention, that a marquee addition is the only thing that will solve Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s problems.
The Reds boss, to be fair, has never directly said it, but the fact he left out Daniel James – the man who filled the right-wing position for most of last season – from his squad at Brighton perhaps reflected the Norwegian’s feelings on the situation.
Yet Mason Greenwood, the man who started on the right flank and has done so well since James’ collapse in form, was one of the few who shone at the Amex Stadium. His ability to run at pace, yet with composure on the ball, is astonishing for an 18-year-old and on another day he would have notched a goal and an assist, both his and Marcus Rashford’s efforts either side of half-time chalked off for offside.
Put simply, the right-wing position did not appear United’s biggest problem on a day when they were outplayed by Brighton. So with only a week left in the summer window, what next? Former Red Rio Ferdinand was quick to suggest Sancho should no longer remain the transfer priority.
He fumed: “I want Jadon Sancho, he is a generational talent and would get fans off their seats, but does he solve the fundamental problems I see with this team?
“There are moments before games when the opposition, are they looking across and saying they are going to have to be at their best to score past this United defence? I don’t think so.”
Ferdinand suggested the centreback position ought to be the biggest area of concern, citing RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano or Napoli talisman Kalidou Koulibaly as potential targets. There is no doubt Victor Lindelof’s performances in the opening two games of the campaign have left a lot to be desired.
So Ferdinand is right, even if United cannot attract a big name centreback. Perhaps a younger man could arrive to put pressure on Lindelof and Harry Maguire.
Yet another position the Reds actually addressed last summer is now causing fans to scratch their heads. There is no suggestion Aaron Wan-Bissaka should be replaced as the club’s first choice right-back at this stage, but his performance at Brighton was poor. The fact Solskjaer does not seem to rate Diogo Dalot leaves the former Palace man without any real competition. Timothy FosuMensah is a back-up utility defender.
Solskjaer addressed Wan-Bissaka’s display after the Brighton game and suggested the 22-year-old was still developing.
“Aaron is improving as a defender and is one of the best oneagainst-one,” said the United boss, addressing his performance. One method of ensuring the player does improve, and does not go backwards after a promisingly consistent debut campaign, would be to offer more strength to the fullback positions.
United have been linked with Porto leftback Alex Telles, a move that could see Brandon Williams switch more regularly to right-back.
Either way, it’s important WanBissaka does not sink into a comfort zone.
United have, of course, already added competition for places to their midfield this summer. It’s the only area of the squad that seems brimming with options right now, though the decision to leave new signing Donny van de Beek on the bench for the first two league games has been baffling.
Paul Pogba hasn’t been at his best and, like Wan-Bissaka and the centre-backs, would surely be fired up to perform better if he lost his spot to Van de Beek. The Dutchman came off the bench to score against Palace and helped keep the ball alive to win the last-gasp penalty at Brighton.
Solskjaer made allowances for Pogba, who has suffered with coronavirus recently, but soon he must make a decision on the Frenchman. “He missed a lot of the pre-season because of his illness, so he’s not had internationals or the friendly against Villa,” said Solskjaer. “So of course the two 60, 65 minutes he’s had will help him along and he’ll just get better and better.” The only way to make all of these players improve is to be ruthless, to inject competition and rivalry into the United squad. Sancho would give that to Greenwood, though bigger problems are cropping up elsewhere.
The only way to make these players improve is to be ruthless, to inject competition and rivalry into the squad