Manchester United face an important close season as they bid to rebuild their squad following a hugely disappointing campaign.
A sixth-place finish in the Premier League, 32 points behind champions Manchester City, simply isn’t good enough for a club of United’s stature and big changes are needed.
There are likely to be plenty of players heading for the exit door, with many of them failing to deliver at Old Trafford.
The size of the task facing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is perfectly highlighted by United’s odds to win next season’s Premier League title.
Betway rate the Red Devils as 14/1 shots to claim the trophy – a price that would have been unthinkable just a few seasons ago. Read on as we assess the latest transfer speculation at United.
United must solve De Gea conudrum
United have already told the Spanish goalkeeper that they will not be meeting his contract demands meaning it is likely he will leave the club.
On his day De Gea is the best in the world, but his recent form doesn’t warrant him being awarded a new £400,000 per week deal.
De Gea made a number of high-profile errors last term, most notably against Barcelona in the Champions League, and his confidence looks shot.
The 28-year-old certainly hasn’t been helped by a lack of quality in front of him, but with just a year left on his deal the time is right to move De Gea on.
Andre Onana, Jasper Cillessen and Jan Oblak have been linked with moves to Old Trafford and all of them appeal as solid alternatives to De Gea.
Defence the priority
Former United defender Gary Neville believes that Solskjaer needs to completely revamp his backline and it’s difficult to argue with that view.
Aside from Diogo Dalot, who has shown plenty of promise, every other defender in the first-team squad has a question mark of some sort hanging over them.
Luke Shaw still has time on his side to nail down the left-back spot, but the centre-half positions remain a major area of concern.
Victor Lindelof is the best of the current bunch, but fans would be unworried if the likes of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones or Chris Smalling were sold.
Matthijs de Ligt would be a superb signing, although Betway make Barcelona favourites to snap up the Ajax star this summer and United may need to look elsewhere.
Evolution rather than revolution further forward
Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial are the players strongly tipped to leave United this summer, although it seems unlikely that they will all go.
Solskjaer is believed to be open to the idea of selling Pogba to Real Madrid and that is a move that probably must happen for all concerned.
The French midfielder is a divisive character and Solskjaer needs everyone pulling in the same direction if he is to be successful at Old Trafford.
Adrien Rabiot, Jadon Sancho, Daniel James and Declan Rice are amongst the players who have been linked with a move to United and they would all be positive acquisitions.
However, with the likes of Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomes pushing for more game time next season, a huge influx of players in the midfield and forward areas is doubtful.
