Manchester United’s shopping list: Transfer targets, sporting director with a vision and some stability

Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquiring 25% of Manchester United and taking charge of soccer operations, the winds of change could begin to blow through Old Trafford. Struggling since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils haven’t won the Premier League since 2013 seeing Manchester City dominate English soccer despite having vast resources at their disposal. From a revolving door of managers to letting talented youth players walk out the door, the mismanagement of Manchester United has a chance to end if Ratcliffe sets up a proper sporting structure but this won’t be something that is done overnight.

As the deal won’t be immediately approved, there’s a chance that help on the pitch doesn’t even come in January but as Manchester United showed by overcoming a two-goal halftime deficit against Aston Villa, there is talent in the side to turn things around if the leadership is sound. But with that, what should Ratcliffe look at when figuring out how to get United back to their best? Let’s take a look at the new owners potential shopping list.

A sporting director with a clear vision

Before even considering transfers, the sporting structure at Manchester United needs a complete overhaul because it’s poor decision-making that brought them to this point. From attempting to fit square pegs into round holes concerning transfers and ending up with players like Jadon Sancho, now frozen out of the squad and needing to be sold at a loss, to poor talent evaluation resulting in players leaving Manchester United who should have stayed with the club, it’s been mess. The most recent examples are academy players Anthony Elanga and Dean Henderson departing Old Trafford.

Both have shown their worth in the Premier League and could have helped United. While one can’t assume they would have had similar success staying at Old Trafford, they also should have seen more playing time before being shipped off to other clubs. Henderson’s case is somewhat understandable due to the presence of David De Gea, but when the move on from De Gea could have been free instead of leading to the purchase of Andre Onana, that’s bad business. Elanga was almost pitted against Alejandro Garnacho for one youth forward to make it to the first team, but with the underperformance of Antony and Marcus Rashford this season, both could have been useful to have around. With a standardized vision from top to bottom at Manchester United, such situations can be avoided moving forward.

A new manager if ten Hag can’t save his job

With all the change and the fact that Manchester United’s defense has been solid this season, it’s just the attack that isn’t holding serve. Manager Erik ten Hag could remain under evaluation by the new sporting director until the summer unless there’s an extremely poor turn in form that causes a need to make a move sooner. Already out of European competition, it’s not like there’s much to lose this season, and with the list of available managers for a top club being a slim one that essentially includes Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane among others, waiting until the summer to have a full integration of a new manager makes the most sense. Similarly to when United were coached by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, they’re at their best under ten Hag when chasing games but they need the ability to control matches which leads to the next item that will need to be checked off.

A controlling midfielder that retains possession

After a spectacular World Cup, Sofyan Amrabat’s stock couldn’t have been higher as he sparkled in midfield for Morocco. It took extensive negotiation to bring him to Old Trafford but he has struggled to slot into midfield or as an emergency left back which opens the door for more upcoming transfers to fill the position. One name that could be a great fit in the middle of the park is Lewis Cook for Bournemouth. The 26-year-old midfielder may not be flashy but he wins back possession for the Cherries and he doesn’t give it away. Manchester United is a team that loses matches because of mistakes but if the Red Devils can retain possession to avoid putting the defense into tough positions, then everyone’s job will be a little easier, removing some of the chaotic nature of their play. During Bournemouth’s hot run of form, Cook’s influence has been clear so United may not be the only team to circle around him.

A top center back

Surprisingly, center back has been low down United’s list of issues this season as Harry Maguire has been a valuable contributor to the team but with Lisandro Martinez injured again, needing to make a decision on Raphael Varane’s future and Victor Lindelof being best as a squad player the defensive corps could quickly become thin. Every top team in the Premier League has a commanding center back that strikes fear into opposing forwards and United lack that in the squad. It’s a hot commodity on the market but getting a Ruben Dias or Virgil van Dijk of their own could power the Red Devils back to the top of the league at a rapid pace. With this being a bit of a luxury addition, it should come lower down the list of priorities especially when squad players will need to be offloaded to afford a world class defender.