Despite a tumultuous season, Manchester United fans were gifted something to be excited about as the purchase of a 25% stake in the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group was announced on Christmas eve last year. The deal meant that INEOS would assume complete control over football operations at United once ratification was confirmed by the Premier League and the FA, which it was on the 13th of February.
Even before ratification was confirmed though, INEOS were already hard at work trying to assemble their football operations team ahead of the summer transfer window. Such acquisitions have included Omar Berrada, who was poached from Manchester City earlier this year to become United's brand new chief executive. Other appointments have essentially been formalities, but it has been nonetheless important that the posts of Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc have been confirmed in recent weeks, with both men unsurprisingly assuming directorial roles at the club.
INEOS still have work to do however, as United are still lacking a director of football and a head of recruitment. As far as the director of football is concerned, Newcastle's Dan Ashworth seems increasingly likely to be welcomed to the club once United and the Magpies can agree a compensation package - Ashworth remains on gardening leave whilst the two clubs negotiate. Quite a few other names, such as Southampton's director of football Jason Wilcox, and Crystal Palace's sporting director Dougie Freedman, have been touted as potential options to become United's head of recruitment.
Another aspect in which INEOS have made abundantly clear they are devoted to is establishing a distinctive style of play that is instantaneously recognisable as 'Manchester United's style of play', as evidenced by Ratcliffe stating in an interview with the BBC that "you have to decide which path to follow and stick to it", in reference to why himself and his INEOS group will be working closely with the manager of Man United to engender a long-term, sustainable brand of football. Whether the manager will remain Erik ten Hag next season is still unknowable to anyone outside of Ratcliffe and his closest confidants.
The main point of everything INEOS is trying to build with their stake in United is to vastly improve United's endeavours on the football pitch, and one of the paramount conductors of success on the pitch is the players. The success of United's recruitment since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 has fluctuated dangerously, and more often than not players of certain profiles and ages have been brought in where it would've been wiser to spend elsewhere.
United's tenuous transfer strategy over the past decade has meant that United still have many holes that they need to plug in their squad if they want to become a team that can compete for big trophies consistently again, and in the rest of this article I will attempt to justify why United should be prioritising at least one signing in three specific positions this summer.
Striker
Man United hoped to alleviate their issues upfront by signing the 21-year-old Danish international striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in a £72 million deal last summer, and whilst Hojlund was certainly a striker with bags of raw talent and potential, the rawness was evident in the first four months of his Premier League career. It wasn't until boxing day last year that Hojlund would score his first goal in the English top-flight, but it became immediately clear that his first goal in the Premier League was the catalyst he needed to kick on from that point.
After his brace against Luton Town in February, Hojlund became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six consecutive games. His momentum was unfortunately halted however as a few days after the game it was announced that he would be out for three weeks maximum with an injury. His injury naturally sent United fans into a panic, but what his injury reaffirmed is how badly United need to supplement Hojlund with sufficient cover in order to make his absences less apparent.
With Anthony Martial looking increasingly likely to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season as a free agent, it would mean that the only remaining senior player with the most experience playing at striker would be Marcus Rashford, who is admittedly, and evidently, much more of a potent attacking threat at Left-Wing. The kind of striker Man United opt to bring in depends on two factors:
1. How they view Hojlund. If United see Hojlund as the indisputable focal point to lead their line for most of the season, then it would make sense to bring in a striker who is capable of providing a satisfactory level of output whilst also being content with their role as cover for Hojlund, meaning a restriction on minutes.
2. The profile of striker. While Hojlund still has a lot of room to improve, throughout this season he has made it quite clear that he is the complete package when it comes to his skillset as a striker. Quick off the mark, tenacious in his duels, a diverse finisher and a confident dictator of play with the ball at his feet outside of the box. Do United try to find another striker who possesses all of these qualities to a similar extent? Do United look for a striker who's unique selling point is their box presence? Or do United look for a striker who is much more adept at linking play as a Roberto Firmino-esque false 9?
Midfielder (a 6)
If United's performances this season have made one thing abundantly clear, it is that they need to stock their midfield with players who are A) Almost always available for selection, B) Technically secure, and C) Highly athletic. The way Ten Hag wants his team to play demands a tremendous amount of effort out of possession, and this has not only meant that United's holding midfielders have had to cover abnormal amounts of space on the pitch, but it has led to a number of non-contact muscular injuries in midfield too, of which players like Mason Mount and Casemiro have been victims.
Many will argue, however, that the reason why the spaces in United's midfield appear so large is because United's 6s, particularly Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat, are simply too immobile and not athletic enough to successfully fulfil the demands of the 6 in Ten Hags system. With reports suggesting that United will not make Amrabat's loan a permanent deal, and the futures of the likes of Scott Mctominay, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro up in the air, it is imperative that United sign a holding midfielder this summer that is favourably young, highly athletic, effective in duels and technically proficient in order to plaster their issues in midfield and raise the squads overall technical floor.
United have been linked to the likes of Everton's Amadou Onana as recently as last summer, and it would be wise for them to search for midfielders of the same ilk. Players like AS Monaco's Youssouf Fofana, Wolverhampton Wanderer's Joao Gomes and Feyenoord's Mats Wieffer are just a few examples of profiles that fulfil the requirements of a 6 in Ten Hag's system.
Centre-back
An area where United have been hit particularly hard this season, injury-wise, has been their central defence. Due to recurring injuries to the likes of Raphael Varane, Victor lindelof, Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martine and Harry Maguire, United have had to field well over ten different centre-back pairings this season alone, which obviously isn't ideal for building chemistry in their back-line.
United's recurring injuries at the back have even meant that Ten Hag has had to turn to their academy in promoting 19-year-old French youth international Willy Kambwala, who made his senior debut against West Ham in December. The futures of Varane, Evans, Maguire and Lindelof are all yet to be defined, so like the midfield, it is imperative that United make at least one landmark signing at the back whilst they decide what to do about the rest of their centre-backs.
What United's performances this season have shown is that Ten Hag preferably wants his centre-backs high up the pitch whilst the full-backs back up the press, so ideally United would do well to recruit a centre-back who is a back line leader, an effective recovery and channel defender, proactive in his duels, comfortable with the ball at his feet and capable of stepping into midfield in possession to help with middle 3rd overloads.
United have been heavily linked to quite a few centre-backs this season, especially the likes of Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and OGC Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo - both of whom encapsulate the essential qualities that Ten Hag wants from his centre-backs.
It is highly likely that United may need to recruit multiple players in midfield and Defence depending on outgoings and how much money is available to spend (whilst remaining wary of Financial Fair Play), but nonetheless it is absolutely imperative that United recruit at least one player (of the correct profile) in each of the positions mentioned if they want to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.