By Brian Roy
With their “noisy neighbors” Manchester City claiming yet more Premier League glory in the past season, Manchester United had to settle for second spot in the table.
The Red Devils did improve on their previous campaign, where they had finished third, but they did not do enough to put up a serious challenge to City. That is what manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to rectify in the transfer window.
United prioritized two signings this summer: a center back and a winger. They got those players early in Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho.
Aside from some exits, they left the remainder of their business until the very end, securing their former player Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.
We rate the winners and losers of United’s transfer window, following a very long summer of MU transfer rumours.
Everyone in the Premier League wins thanks to the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to United late in the transfer window. The Portuguese attacker is widely seen as one of the best players of all time, and he previously represented United from 2003 to 2009, before moving to Real Madrid and then Juventus.
Ronaldo was even linked with a move to United’s bitter rivals City this summer, but opted to re-join United in a romantic return to the club where he first became a world star.
While Ronaldo does make United a more fearsome prospect from an attacking perspective, his return is also a commercial boon for the club and the Premier League. There is no doubt that more fans will be in stadiums and watching around the world whenever Ronaldo is involved in league matches.
One of the big issues for Manchester United was the back line, as it had a tendency to leak goals when the team was playing in an adventurous fashion. There was also a habit of falling behind in matches last season, only to turn things around in the second halves.
Manager Solskjaer will not want that to become a theme this term, which is why he splashed the cash on experienced defender Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. The Frenchman was in the last year of his contract, making the move financially feasible for all parties.
Varane will play next to Harry Maguire when everyone is fit, and has already shown in the Premier League fixture against Wolves that he is a very good one v one defender. The question is whether he can stay fit all season, and improve the back line enough for them to keep up pace with the likes of Man City, Chelsea, and Liverpool as the season progresses.
The arrival of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund is an exciting transfer, as he can play on the right wing, left wing, and even behind the main striker. Sancho is likely to get most of his games on the right wing, where United are very light for options.
He replaces the outgoing Daniel James in the squad, who has transferred to Leeds United. Sancho is very young and will need time to adapt to the Premier League, but he is expected to chip in with a lot of goals, assists, and creativity for United during a long season.
The one area where the Red Devils did not improve their options is central midfield. They have Nemanja Matic, Fred, and Scott McTominay as their main options in this area of the pitch.
While Paul Pogba can also play in a deeper midfield position, he often struggles in this area against high pressure teams, as evidenced by his display against Wolves in the Premier League recently.
United will be hoping McTominay and Fred can remain fit for most of the matches, while they may even go out and sign another midfielder in January if their league campaign stutters in the early part of the season.
Fans will be disappointed they did not secure a suitable signing this summer, as they were linked to the likes of Edouardo Camavinga and Ruben Neves, but no such transfer materialized.
The signing of Dutchman Donny van de Beek has been a curious one from a United perspective. He was reportedly signed as an alternative to Bruno Fernandes, but the Portuguese has a habit of playing nearly every game when he is fit.
Van de Beek does not quite have the necessary qualities to play deeper in central midfield, where United lack numbers, but he is not doing enough to dislodge Fernandes from the team either.
A last minute loan move to Everton had been touted as a possibility, but that was turned down by United boss Solskjaer. Now van de Beek will have to wait to discover if he can get more game time this season.
If he does not get his wish, then a January transfer on loan out of United may be the only way for him to resurrect his career, which has stalled since his transfer from Ajax last summer.
The Red Devils are among the favorites to claim the Premier League title this season, especially after the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Adding Varane and Sancho gives them a lot of quality in areas where they were struggling previously, while introducing a set piece coach will help them in defending and attacking corners and taking free kicks.
The question remains whether their central midfield options and the tactics of manager Solskjaer are good enough to pip the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, or Liverpool to the title.
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