So I’m guessing that by now you guys have noticed that the Manchester United squad just isn’t very good. Certainly not good in the sense of fitting the way that Ruben Amorim wants to play football.
We’ve got some players that just aren’t physical enough, whether that be strength or speed, and then others which aren’t technical enough. They can’t take the ball under pressure and they’re not great on the ball.
Ultimately, Manchester United individually lose the battles in the middle of the pitch. This year we need to try and change that with some new signings coming into the club in the summer. And I thought that I would look at some options.
So what we’re going to do is cover five positions that I feel Manchester United need to address. And then I’m going to tell you some players that I think could be good options.
Some of them you will already know a lot about because they are expensive premium options and some of them are slightly rogue shouts that you may not have heard before. Before we get into all of that, if you could please subscribe to the channel, that’d be amazing. And then we’re just going to get straight into this.
So you can see sort of straight away some of the base positions that we are going to be covering in this video. Although it is important to remember that Manchester United do have some versatile players. So someone like Ahmad could be a right forward or a right wing back. Bruno can move. There are different options.
One position though that we are definitely going to need to strengthen is the left centre back role. Now there was an argument that we needed to do this anyway this summer because past the Sancho Martinez we have no depth.
Now we don’t even really have the Sancho Martinez, certainly not for another year still. So in the summer I feel that we need to address this position. Ultimately we need a ball player, someone that can progress the ball. But also physically in an ideal world we would raise the ceiling here because the Sancho Martinez has struggled.
The premium option is a player that everyone will know about, Bastoni. This is one of the most progressive centre backs in world football. He progresses the ball in a slightly different way to the Sancho Martinez, but still technically he is absolutely unbelievable.
He’s also used to playing on the left side of a back three. So he knows about that licence to get forward and join the attack. He would be a really really good option for United. If you haven’t watched him, go watch him. But realistically he’s probably a little bit too expensive. He is the premium option.
Another sort of premium option is Nico Schlotter beck at Borussia Dortmund. Now again, once again we are talking about one of the most progressive centre backs anyway in world football. Left footed, really comfortable in possession.
And actually I labelled him I believe as three years ago as one of the few centre backs in world football that I would describe as press resistant, but also actually actively creative in the final third. And that is why he is suited playing on the left side of the fence.
He can express himself on the ball more, he can move forward. And genuinely I think if you could get him into these positions, he does offer you something from a creative point of view.
Which is ideal if we’re trying to replace the Sancho Martinez, that on the ball speciality is something that we need. But we may not be able to afford it. We might take a different approach.
Jared Brandtweight. Now just hear me out on this one because I know a lot of people don’t like him. He’s made a lot of mistakes this season including against Manchester United. But he is still without doubt a good player.
But a slightly different profile to the other two. Nowhere near as progressive on the ball, nowhere near as technical on the ball. But defensively you do get a bit more.
He’s arguably a better one versus one defender. He’s more physical, he covers the channels better. And particularly in the box I really rate Jared Brandtweight. I think his reading of the game is strong.
But also his physical traits in the middle allow him to deal with a lot of problems into the box. So those are sort of the three left centre backs that I’m looking at at the moment. Let me know some other players that I should watch in the comments.
Now the next position to talk about is in central midfield. We talk about this every single year. United always need a new player for this position. And I don’t think 2025 is going to be any different. Ugarte last summer was a good signing but he wasn’t a game changer in my opinion.
And I said that at the time. Kobe Maynou is a good player but you can’t rely on him every single week because he’s still young. Is Bruno a midfielder? I’m not sure. Overall we need more physicality. But also we need ball progression.
The first option that I would like to bring to you guys is Edison currently playing for Atalanta. Now you guys may have watched the match the other night. He didn’t actually have the best game. But generally speaking Edison is a top midfielder.
One of the best in Europe in my opinion. And you can see in the stats a brilliant combination of dual winning but also progressive passing. Now his numbers are slightly inflated because in possession what he often does for Atalanta is he drops into the back form like this.
So his progressive passes are boosted. But still Edison is a progressive player in my opinion. He’s not a deep holding ball winning midfielder. Although he can do the scrappy work out of possession. He is someone who actually wants to be given that licence to go forward.
So I don’t see him necessarily as an Ugarte replacement. I do see him as a potential partner. Someone who could be given that licence to get forward, attack the box, move into attacking positions. I quite like Edison as an option.
Another option that I like is Nemecia from Borussia Dortmund. Now this young man actually started his career in England. Now in Dortmund he’s changed his profile as a player. He used to be this big ball carrying midfielder.
Someone that would dribble through the pitch all the time. But this season he has played a little bit deeper. Almost moreas a six. And that’s allowed him to improve his passing game. All in all he’s a player that dominates the duels. You can see the attacking and defensive percentages are very good. One of the very best in Europe.
Now, Matty offers you everything that you want really in possession. And honestly, this is kind of the guy I’m leaning towards at the moment. I’m going to watch a lot more of him till the end of the season. once he’s back from injury.
I recommend that you guys do the same because he’s big, he’s strong, he’s press resistant, he’s technical, he’s a good passer, but I do want to see a bit of progress there. But I think he’s a good player and I also think he is a gettable player once again from Borussia Dortmund.
And then the other player is Kajusti. Now you will be thinking, AJ, what on earth was that pronunciation? That’s not how you say his name. But actually it is. I watched a video of him saying it. So that is how you say his name.
Kajusti. News to me. Anyway, what do you get and who is this? This is actually a midfielder currently playing for Ipswich Town in the Premier League on loan from Napoli, where he featured a lot last season and played really well. What do you get? Physicality, ball winning, ground coverage.
You can see in his ground coverage stats, he’s absolutely fantastic in the Premier League this season. And I like that. Already Premier League proven. He already knows the pace of the league, the intensity of the league. I like that. But also on the ball, a real technical quality.
This is a player who scans constantly. He is always looking over his shoulder, assessing where people are, and it gives him brilliant positioning on the ball. He has this excellent ability to find space.
Again, I don’t see him as a deep six, a deep lying midfielder, but someone given that licence to move a little bit higher and manipulate the opposition. And also what we always like to hear, genuine press resistance, a real option for Manchester United.
If we now move into the wider positions, Manchester United still need wingbacks. Yes, we signed Patrick Dorgu in January, but he’s not the ready-made player.
He is a signing for the future, someone with a lot of potential. I would argue we may be still need a left wingback, but also a right wingback as well. And of course, the main option everyone is talking about is Cuenda. And the reason we are talking about him is because his productivity in the final third has been ridiculous this season.
Although unfortunately, these stats are compared to fullbacks, but still, he is a very good attacking player. We’ve done a video on him very, very recently. Dribbling, two-way threat, pace, ball carrying ability, productivity in the final third, an ability to shoot a goal, ability to create.
Cuenda does offer you a little bit of everything. He seems genuinely affordable this summer. He would be probably top of my list right now for wingbacks, apart from a player that we’ll come on to in just a minute.
Before we get to that player, I want to talk about Miguel Gutierrez. Someone who is very, very versatile. You can see it in the numbers here. Played a few different positions for Girona this season, mainly down the left-hand side of the pitch.
We’ve spoken about him in the past last year when we were looking at more traditional left-backs for a back four. A back three arguably suits Gutierrez a little bit more. For Girona, he’s a very, very technically efficient player. Someone who can overlap into the final third, out wide, but also invert into midfield.
And we know this is something that Amorim , so far, has liked to do with his left wing back at Manchester United. He’s a bit more experienced than Dorgu, so perhaps it gives us that competition.
But he’s also not sort of that calibre of player where he’s going to be demanding minutes and blocking Dorgu’s path. To be honest, I have no idea how much he would cost, but I think he’s an interesting option.
And then you get maybe my favourite idea for wing backs, simply because not many people are saying it. Semenyo from Bournemouth. Now, Semenyo is actually more traditionally a winger, an attacking player.
But I tell you what, his physical base is just absolutely ridiculous. Really strong, really powerful, excellent acceleration, really difficult to knock off the ball. And his dribbling numbers, absolutely fantastic. Really good in the take on. And this is what Manchester United need, in my opinion, in the wide positions.
When you want that more attacking threat from your wing backs, Semenyo could be the way to go. I do have question marks over some of his back to goal work and whether he can work in that sense. But I think as you got forward, he’s a really nice player. He also offers you versatility.
He could play as an inside forward. I think Semenyo is absolutely a player United should have on the short list. Again, Premier League proven, ready for the intensity, the physicality. I like him.
Now, we are just going to tuck back into the pitch a little bit to talk about the inside forwards. And these three options are all currently playing in English football, which again, physically, intensity, it’s a good sign to have. The premium option, I think realistically, that everyone has been speaking about is Cunha at Wolves.
I mean, what a player. We were linked a few years ago. And to be honest, I had question marks over him at the time, particularly as a striker. But at Wolves, he has discovered this sort of 10 slash inside forward floating player who is really, really effective.
And he ticks a lot of the boxes of what Manchester United need. The strength, of course, which is very important to protect the ball and keep the ball. But the ball carrying, giving us a drive in the middle of the pitch, which currently we really lack. Someone who can pick the ball up, knock people off him.
And you can see playing for Wolves, a poor side this season. He’s racked up a very impressive number of goal contributions. He’s been really effective, despite playing in a weaker team. And you’ve got to consider Manchester United these days are a weaker team. We’re not one of the strongest teams in the league anymore. So we need these players that are used to feeding off less of the ball.
Cunha is exactly that, and he’s a great option. Another option that’s going to tick some similar boxes is also Morgan Gibbs-White, a very similar profile to Cunha, perhaps a little bit less flair but perhaps more drive, more defensive capabilities, more intensity off the ball.
Gibbs-White is another sort of player who is not quite a midfielder, he’s not quite a winger, he’s not quite a pure 10, but as an inside forward in this sort of position, he gives you drive, he gives you ball carrying and playing for Nottingham Forest, he’s a player that’s used to doing defensive work.
Forest spend a lot of time sitting behind the ball, so Gibbs-White would be happy to do that side of the game, and then when you get the ball, he’s explosive, he’s powerful, he gives you threat in the final third, he will score your goals, which United need, we don’t score enough goals. I really like Gibbs-White as an option.
And then I’ve got a bit of an outside shout, Jobe Bellingham, of course the younger brother of Jude Bellingham, although I shouldn’t be saying that because it is irrelevant, really nice young player. A player who brings, again, incredible versatility.
He’s been used as a deep midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder. I actually like the idea of him as this sort of ball retaining inside forward. Again, he’s got the drive to carry the ball forward in tight spaces, but because he’s played deeper, he’s also good at understanding ball retention, the need to keep the ball in these tight moments.
I think he gives something different really to United, but of course also the versatility is important. If he couldn’t always work out in these positions, there’s also the option to drop him a little bit deeper, where he’s got brilliant defensive understanding, he screens in front of the defence well. I think Jobe, from the championship, again, nice player, go watch him.
Now finally, the last position to talk about is up front with the strikers. Manchester United don’t score enough goals. We miss the most easy chances in the Premier League this season, which is quite an alarming stat. We need someone new up front, and a lot of people want to spend a big money and go get Dijkukureš.
I completely understand why. He’s been amazing this season. He was amazing last season and pretty good the season before that as well. Of course, has worked with Ruben Amorim at Sporting. They know each other’s game inside and out.
Ruben Amorim would be able to help Dijkukureš flourish. And again, the numbers this season are nothing to laugh at. They’re absolutely ridiculous. He is a clinical finisher, but he will cost a lot of money. He will cost Manchester United a lot of money.
Is this something that we can afford to do? I’m not sure. Is it a player that Amorim will want to go get? Would he want to take players away from Sporting, especially if we sign Quenda already? I’m not sure if it works. I’m not too sure.
I also have concerns about how he kind of transfers to the Premier League, how his game settles in a league with more intensity, less time, less space. It would be interesting to watch. But I mean, regardless, he is better than what we’ve got. He is an amazing option.
Another really good option and someone I want to watch more of. Watched him a lot a few years ago, but not so much recently. Osimhen.
Currently at Galatasaray, ripping it up, scoring a lot of goals and importantly scoring goals inside the box. This is what he was doing last season. Goals from inside the penalty area. Manchester United need that. That focal point in the middle.
So when your wingbacks do get into a wide position, whoever those wingbacks may be next season, by the way, no idea. But when they get into those positions and they want to put that ball into the box, you need your striker to be in there scoring goals.
And Osimhen does that better than most. His movement, his instincts in the box are brilliant. And he’s a pretty lethal finisher. He offers you huge threat aerially, but also off both feet as well. That can be half volleys, the ball slotted into the bottom corner. I like the range of finishing. Osimhen , pretty obviously, is a player that United should be watching.
But also, we’re going to go back to Ipswich for this one. A team close to me. De Lapp. Liam De Lapp, currently playing for Ipswich up front. Not normally perhaps the type of player you’d go get. An Ipswich town striker.
Why would you do that? But Liam De Lapp actually came through the Manchester City academy. And technically, he’s a very strong player. He scored a good number of goals this season for Ipswich. But again, what I really like here is the fact that he is used to playing with less of the ball.
Manchester United are not a good team anymore. And that’s not going to transform in 12 months. We have less of the ball than most teams. And in these positions, you need players that can make the ball stick. And actually create chances for themselves.
Rather than always getting that supply from elsewhere. Do some of it yourself, mate. And De Lapp has been doing that for Ipswich this season. His take-on record in the Premier League. Again, that’s important. In the Premier League is very strong.
He’s really good at making the ball stick. But also taking players on. Taking himself into attacking positions. Rather than always relying on someone else. He’s got a good first touch. Good under pressure. Can be used as a sort of target man. But also a linking man. And then again, in the box. He has been there this season to sniff out chances and score goals.
And he’s also probably just a little bit cheaper than the other two. And of course, that is important. The price is important. United will not have a lot of money this season. So we need to be careful. We need to pick and choose. We can’t have the premium option in every single position. Sometimes you’re going to have to settle for second best. Or a bit of a project player.
Get that balance. Sign some young players. Some players at 25 in their prime. Sign from the Premier League for that experience and the know-how in the league. But also sign from abroad where it might be a little bit cheaper.
Balance will be important this summer. But I do think that genuinely you can get this Manchester United squad to a very decent level in just one window without spending a ridiculous amount. But those are just my thoughts. These are just some of the players that I like. But those are just my thoughts.
