The hardest task for Erik ten Hag this summer could be deciding which positions in his squad need urgent attention and which others may be delayed another year.
Not even Ten Hag’s appearance at Selhurst Park on Sunday could do enough to cover Manchester United’s problems on the pitch, as they fell into another defeat to end a terribly disappointing season. The Dutchman will not have seen anything he did not know about United last weekend, although the form of his defeat will have further emphasized the daunting task at hand.
United are already working on a number of possible transfer deals to start their summer in the best possible way and, in particular, are looking to strengthen a defense that leaked 57 goals this season, 31 more than Man City and Liverpool. .
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Jurrien Timber and Pau Torres have a strong interest in the club as they are looking to sign a new center-back this summer, while many others have been linked with a move. United’s need for a new center-back comes not only from their problems this season, but also from the fact that Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe could leave United in the summer.
It is clear why United want to strengthen their off-season ranks, but they are far from the expected scenario when they spent £ 42 million to sign Raphael Varane a year ago.
One of the highlights of last season was when Varane paraded in front of a packed Old Trafford ahead of his thrashing of Leeds on the opening day. There was a real sense of excitement in the air for United to sign such a world-class player, although that excitement has rarely been seen since.
The French midfielder has impressed in vision, but has missed 17 games due to injury and illness in his debut campaign. Varane made fewer appearances than Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot and Nemanja Matic this season, and only two more than Anthony Elanga.
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Not only was he unfortunate due to injury, but Varane suffered as a result of United’s playing system and the lack of a reliable central defender with whom to form a partnership.
Speaking of which, Lindelof and Harry Maguire have not lived up to expectations at Old Trafford and could both be off the starting lineup on a regular basis next season.
Maguire never gave up for a long time due to having the captaincy and the extra scrutiny that this act would have entailed, while Lindelof has always been seen as the dispensable option in any pair of power plants.
There is a belief that the arrival of Ten Hag has led to the freedom to make ruthless and defeated team changes if necessary, with the defensive configuration of an area that will surely be reconfigured. United’s interest in signing another center-back shows that the coach is clearly interested in strengthening his backline urgently this summer, which in turn raises more doubts about those already at the club.
The signing of Timber or Torres could bring with him the solidity he lacked in the back of United, but with that would come even more competition for places.
Maguire and Lindelof could have been United’s two most used midfielders this season. However, under Ten Hag they could even fight to get on the pitch.
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