As Manchester United’s season looks to fizzle out into another year of mediocrity, United fans are looking to next season with cautious optimism.
There can be no doubt that Manchester United is in need of a complete overhaul. If the cracks at Old Trafford had been plastered over before, Ralf Rangnick has not been shy in ripping these off and exposing the world to what truly lies underneath. Dysfunctional, disengaged, and disorganised chaos. However there is light at the end of the tunnel – with Ten Hag joining in the summer, Rangnick taking a consultancy role and a newly defined structure under John Murtough fans are hopeful of a once-again functional football club.
So what exactly does Ten Hag need to do in this summer window, and what inspiration can he take from Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool? Let’s take a look.
With 5 first-team players leaving on free contracts (Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard) some of the clearout has already begun. With the futures of other fringe players such as Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also in doubt, it’s clear a lot of work needs to be done in recruitment.
Revolution, not Evolution.
The first step to creating success at Man United is not trying to find a quick fix. This summer window needs to prioritse developing the first-team squad, both in terms of depth and quality. Forget blowing the budget on the Declan Rice and Harry Kane’s of this window – they’re the final puzzle piece. United need solid foundations.
Jurgen Klopp – 15/16 & 16/17.
Joining the club in the 15/16 season Jurgen Klopp brought with him a modern and attacking brand of football and he needed the players to implement it. Let’s take a look at the notable names he brought in during his first season.
- Firmino – £36.90m*
- Gomez – £4.41m
- Milner – Free
And during his second season:
- Mane – £37.08m
- Wijnaldum – £24.75m
- Matip – Free
While not every transfer was a success (Benteke, Karius and Clyne to name a few) there’s a running theme with these signings. They weren’t all big money, they weren’t all coming from the top sides – but they were hungry and they were ready to slot right into the new system at Liverpool. And years later? Many of these names remain.
Pep Guardiola – 16/17 & 17/18
Arriving as a household name, Guardiola was greeted at City with a (seemingly never-ending) war chest. Let’s take a look at some of the notable signings in his first season:
- Stones – £50.04m
- Sane – £46.80m
- Jesus – £28.80m
- Gundogan – £24.30m
- Bravo – £16.20m
- Zinchenko – £1.80m
And in the second season:
- Laporte – £58.50m
- Walker – £47.43m
- Mendy – £51.75m
- Silva – £45.00m
- Ederson – £36.00m
While not nearly as economical with their cash, City followed a similar theme to Liverpool. Signings were circa £50m each and many of these players were identified to suit the long-term vision of the club. Some have come and gone, some have not worked, but the strategy and vision was there – and the whole club got behind it.
What lessons can we learn?
Manchester United is in transition – so it’s important the foundations are built for a successful future. In my opinion, the most obvious takeaways we can see from both Klopp and Guardiola are:
- Not every signing will be a success, and that’s okay.
- It’s not all about the big names, they come later.
- The first season might be shakey, but give it time.
In Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United have an exciting manager, but he’s not a silver bullet to success. There will be a bedding-in period. There will be mistakes. But it’s important to remain behind the project – see the wood for the trees and let Ten Hag rebuild from the bottom up.
*Transfer fees are taken from Transfermarkt.com
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