United's prospects assessed ahead of opener against Chelsea, live on Sky
Tuesday 6 August 2019 18:41, UK
Manchester United begin their Premier League season against Frank Lampard's Chelsea, live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday. But what can we expect from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side this season?
United endured a wretched campaign last year, slumping to a sixth-placed Premier League finish despite a promising run after Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho in December.
Their late-season collapse coincided with Solskjaer signing a three-year contract as United's permanent manager, so can he now prove he is the right man to turn the club's fortunes around in the long term? Is his squad strong enough to challenge at the very top?
It has been another challenging summer in the transfer market for United, but with their record-breaking £80m deal to sign Harry Maguire in addition to the £50m signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, their hope is that they have significantly bolstered their defence for the long term.
It can be argued that they have overpaid in both instances, but there can be no doubt that the reinforcements were necessary. Last season, United conceded a club-record 54 goals in the Premier League - more than Palace and Newcastle and nearly twice as many as in the previous season. Under Solskjaer, they have not kept a clean sheet since February.
Maguire will be the man at the heart of the defensive overhaul. He arrives with a burgeoning reputation - Pep Guardiola has made no secret of the fact that City were also interested in signing him - but having only played for three seasons in the Premier League and never featured in European competition, he also has something to prove.
His relative inexperience is perhaps not ideal, but Maguire has consistently excelled for Leicester and England. Most memorably, there was the string of commanding performances at last summer's World Cup. He is not the quickest on the turn, but he is still an outstanding all-round defender who represents a considerable upgrade on United's other centre-backs.
He ticks the right boxes in terms of his character, too. Solskjaer has stressed the need to bring the right personalities to United this summer, and he is sure to have received a glowing refence about Maguire from assistant Mike Phelan, who worked with him at his former club Hull.
"He has always been a kid who has worked at his game," Phelan told Sky Sports in 2017. "He always believed in his ability, but he also wanted to know more about the game."
Maguire's humility and determination to improve should serve him well at United, and out on the pitch, he can strengthen them in attack as well as defence. Maguire offers superb distribution from the back and - importantly for a side who scored the fewest headed goals in the Premier League last season - he is also a major threat from corners and free kicks.
In Wan-Bissaka, meanwhile, United hope they have found a much-needed solution to a problem position. The 21-year-old was outstanding for Crystal Palace last season, making more tackles and interceptions than any other Premier League defender and winning their Player of the Year award.
His youthful dynamism is ideal for Solskjaer, who wants United to play with greater hunger and intensity, but he is another relatively inexperienced player who will require the right coaching and support in his new surroundings.
Solskjaer must prove he is the right man to provide it - and also that he can construct an effective defence. United have far better options at the back than last season. Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have all the attributes to improve them. But there is still work to do to ensure the pieces fit together.
United's problems were not restricted to their defence last season. In fact, it could be argued that a lack of protection in front of the backline was an even bigger issue.
As things stand, however, United head into the new campaign with fewer midfielders than last season. Juan Mata has signed a new contract. So too has Andreas Pereira. But Ander Herrera has followed Marouane Fellaini through the exit door and there are still question marks over Paul Pogba's future, too.
The Frenchman made important contributions last season, finishing as United's top scorer and top assist-maker, but a lack of consistency was a serious issue and he has made no secret of his desire to leave the club this summer. Solskjaer is determined to keep him, but even if he does stay it will be a challenge to coax consistency and defensive focus from him.
Solskjaer is likely to give chances to youngsters such as Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and James Garner, but they will require experienced heads around them and Pogba is not the only established first-teamer who needs to up his game.
Manchester United are yet to see any return on the £52m they spent on Fred last summer. The Brazilian arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk to great fanfare, with United said to have beaten City to his signature, but he made just 17 Premier League appearances in total as he struggled to adapt to the speed and intensity of the Premier League.
Solskjaer will hope that Scott McTominay continues to grow in stature - especially with Nemanja Matic showing signs of age last season. The Serb was an outstanding servant to former club Chelsea and initially shone at United, but he has a point to prove this season having struggled to match his usual standards over the course of last season.
The uncertainty surrounding United's midfield is likely to continue right up until the transfer deadline. The circumstances are far from ideal for Solskjaer, but it falls to him to find a system which suits the players he has. Only then will United be a stronger force than last season.
Few fans will mourn the departure of Romelu Lukaku - if, that is, his anticipated transfer to Italy ends up happening. But would Manchester United be taking a risk by heading into the new campaign without an out-and-out goalscorer? The Belgian struggled last season, but his overall record of 42 goals in 96 games for United is still far superior to any of his team-mates.
Solskjaer wants to build a more fluid attack centred around speed and movement, and while it is an exciting prospect, it will require United's remaining attackers to increase their scoring output significantly - particularly Marcus Rashford, now the prime candidate to lead the line.
Solskjaer is not the only one who regards Rashford as a potential superstar, but for all his undoubted ability, he has never scored more than 13 goals in a single season. That's partly down to playing much of his football out wide, of course, but United are still banking on him producing an unprecedented quantity of goals.
Rashford is not the only one who will need to do more.
Solskjaer has praised Anthony Martial's attitude this summer, but can he hold down a starting spot? Can Alexis Sanchez turn his United career around? Can Jesse Lingard rediscover his scoring touch? Can new signing Daniel James hit the ground running in his daunting new surroundings? And can youngster Mason Greenwood really be expected to make an immediate impact?
There are so many uncertainties and there are more still about whether United will be able to bring in any other attacking reinforcements before the deadline. The mooted deal for Paulo Dybala was a tantalising prospect but its collapse leaves United facing a race against time to strengthen their front line.
Much is likely to depend on what happens in the next few days.
