Analyzing Manchester United's 2021-22 Summer Priorities: Part I

The 2020-21 domestic footballing season is officially concluded, and all eyes are now moving towards Euro 2020. In this context, a date that all football clubs around the world would have marked out on their calendars is fast approaching: June 09, 2021. For the uninitiated, June 09, 2021 marks the beginning of two and a half months of drama, rumours, incessant analysis, and clubs running from pillar to post to either bid for, or clarify stories surrounding their players / potential acquisitions. Yes, the Summer Transfer Window is upon us.

Transfer market activity is a must for United

With the 2021-22 English Premier League scheduled to kick-off on August 14, 2021 and the Euros scheduled to wrap up on July 12, like all other clubs around the world, Manchester United will be keen to wrap up key transfer business which will shape their squad going into a crucial year for the club's development. There is, indeed, a lot at stake. With a solid 2nd place finish in the Premier League to build on, the higher-ups at the club are rumoured to be toying with the idea of handing manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer a contract extension, which could potentially keep him at the club until 2024. The club's immediate surroundings, however, make for some challenging viewing. Local rivals Manchester City have been heavily linked to the purchase of English striker Harry Kane, who has informed Tottenham Hotpsur of his desire to leave the club this summer. Liverpool, looking to bounce back from an injury-ridden season which saw them just about finishing in 3rd place in the Premier League, have finalized the transfer of defender Ibrahima Konate. Chelsea are rumoured to be on the lookout for a potent number 9 to add to their Champions League winning squad, which has made purposeful strides forward under the able guidance of Thomas Tuchel. In this context, backing Ole Gunnar Solksjaer in the summer transfer market by signing his key targets is a must for Manchester United, if they are to mount a title charge, or stay in the mix of a title race deep into next season. Additionally, bringing in players will also improve the squad's chances of being holistically competitive on all fronts, with the club looking to better its disappointing performance in the UEFA Champions League last year. With a short turnaround expected between the Euros and the Premier League and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, clubs may not have the benefit of an extensive pre-season regimen. Signing players early may prove beneficial in ensuring they are integrated into the team quicker, making their transition into English football as seamless as possible.

Through a four-part series, I intend on focusing on key positions / players which Manchester United may / should focus on, and their importance in the current setup.

Unsurprisingly, the immediate focus must indeed be on a world-class, dynamic right winger, which is a position that has been criminally ignored at Man United for over a decade now. 

Solving the problem

Manchester United sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009 (for a then transfer record fee of £80 million), a player who had the world at his feet and was truly brilliant, after winning his first Ballon D'Or the year before. He lived up to the legacy of some of the greatest wingers to ever play for Manchester United, including the likes of George Best, David Beckham, and Ryan Giggs. Ever since then, United have been playing catch-up in terms of identifying a suitable replacement for him. The Stretford End faithful, always looking for a new hero to crown and bring back the glory days once witnessed with Ronaldo gliding down the wings, has been craving a consistent, generational, and charismatic superstar to replace the Portugese maestro. Over the last 12 years, United have categorically failed to replace him. One cannot fault the effort, just the execution. The club has witnessed the likes of Adnan Januzaj, Memphis Depay, Angel di Maria, Alexis Sanchez, Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan and many more try (and eventually fail) to truly make an impact and achieve greatness as a #7 or #11 for the club.

All that is set to be put to rest, with Manchester United strongly linked to Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, in a deal which would set-back the English club a fee of approximately £90-95 million.

United are leading the race for Sancho | Image credit: The Independent 

The Englishman has been in scintillating form this season, and has been un-droppable from the Dortmund team-sheet when fit and available to play. Ever since leaving Manchester City, Sancho seems to have grown into a fine player, and is fully capable of spearheading the right-wing attack at Manchester United. He would fit in perfectly at United, with no drastic change in the tactical set-up required to accommodate him. Signing Sancho immediately adds a potency to the front-line at Man United, something they have deeply missed for the last few years.

Bringing balance

In the absence of a recognized world-class winger, Manchester United have been heavily reliant on attacking teams from the left flank, i.e. with the link-up of Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw proving to be a menace for opposition defenders. The two players seem to understand each other perfectly, with Shaw always seemingly readily available on the overlap for Marcus, and Marcus making the most perfect, pin-pointed runs to pick out a line-splitting pass from Shaw. In comparison, the right-flank has been a cause for concern, with mediocre attacking output and predictable patterns of play. Right back Aaron wan Bissaka, who is resolute on the defensive side of the ball, is only gradually coming into his own while going forward. The makeshift right wingers (Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira, and off late, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood) have not provided much support to either Wan Bissaka, or the rest of the front-line in the attacking final third. This imbalance is often exploited by opposition defences, who channelize their defensive efforts towards the left flank, and pay lesser attention to the docile, ineffective right flank. This makes United a one-dimensional and predictable team, and does not work against low-block defences who thrive on being compact and defending with multiple bodies behind the ball. Wan Bissaka's limited offensive repertoire (an element of his game that will take a year or two to fully develop) also stunts the pace of attacks down the right, and offten bring attacking momentum to a screeching halt.

Adding Sancho to the current crop of attackers brings a new dimension to United's attack, as opposition defenders will be forced to pay greater attention to the pacey, wily, and dynamic Sancho, who can cross a ball extremely well and also get goals. Sancho is capable of beating a man, increasing the tempo of play, and being an all-round menace for opposition full-backs. This also helps in reducing some of the workload on Rashford and Shaw, and provides midfielders and defenders with an option of initiating attacks from either side, adding to the unpredictability. Moreover, with Sancho slotting straight into the first team, Solksjaer would no longer be forced to play teenager Mason Greenwood week in and week out, and focus on his development by ensuring a more streamlined approach to first team football.

Versatility and creativity

In an incredible performance against RB Leipzig, Sancho started the German Cup final at left-wing, and capped a brilliant game with two goals. This versatility and his ability to be effective from either flank will be of great use to Solksjaer, who will have a myriad of exciting wingers to choose from, with Rashford, Martial, Sancho, and James all able to play left wing. Sancho has also comfortably slotted into the right wing position for Dortmund, and his stunning season has seen him provide 16 goals and 19 assists in all competitions, 35 goal contributions in total. Sancho and Rashford (who are known to be extremely appreciative of each others' games, and friendly off the pitch as well), who are both capable of playing on either flank can roll back the years and emulate the in-game movement of Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo, who would often switch flanks depending on their opposing full-backs and ability to exploit one over the other. This versatility often proved to be the difference in games, with defenders unable to read what they would do next. Sancho and Rashford, are both quick, full of tricks and can shoot extremely well, and will be a nightmare to deal with, even more so if they continually switch flanks during a game. 

Sancho's ability to create chances is what will benefit United the most. While the team scored the second highest number of Premier League goals this past season (73), one may argue that this was inflated by netting 15 in two matches against Southampton and Leeds. There were a fair amount of tight games in which United failed to score, such as both matches against Chelsea, Arsenal, at home to City, and away at Liverpool. A player like Sancho can play a pivotal role in helping United to break these kind of defences down.

Data from FBRef points to Sancho having made the most successful passes into the penalty box (82) in the Bundesliga last season. Further, he also dribbled the ball into the final third the highest number of times (81). United could do with a bold attacking player whose first instinct is to drive the ball at defences, take a man on, and look to push forward with the ball. These are key variables which often decide narrow and finely-balanced games, and Sancho will help revitalizing a right-flank at United that has been been starved of dynamism for the last 12 years.

Rashford will help Sancho settle at United | Image credit: ManUtd.com

The stats also point to definitive evidence that Sancho can be a skillful ball carrier. When compared to players in Europe's top five leagues: (a) Sancho is in the 1% of players for passes completed, (b) top 2% of players for distance carried, (c) top 2% of players for assists, (d) top 3% of players for dribbles attempted, (e) top 3% for progressive passes, and (f) Top 4% for shot creating actions. Adding a player of this quality to a front-line which boasts of an in-form Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial (who will definitely have a point to prove after suffering one of his worst seasons in a Man United shirt) will guarantee goals. Sancho's willingness to play the forward pass and get strikers and attacking players involved in the game will see United's front line flourish. 

United have been linked with Sancho for over a year now, and the saga looks like it will finally reach its closure this summer, with the two clubs supposedly closer to agreeing on a valuation for Sancho's services this year. All the signs point towards Sancho signing the dotted line at Carrington this summer, and making his return to the Premier League to slot into United's first team. Signing Sancho is an impactful statement of intent, but should not mark the end of activity in what is a crucial and potentially game-changing summer transfer window for Manchester United.

Authored by: Saurav Roy