Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made his demand public- he wants his bosses to further invest in the player roster. It is now the off-season (well, almost, technically not until Sunday, after FA Cup Final), and that means the focus now shifts to the summer transfer window.
United didn’t just finish in the top four this Premier League season, they finished third, supplanting Newcastle last midweek.
Their top four/UCL berth is supplanted by their having won a trophy for the first time in five years (EFL Cup). Plus next weekend brings a chance for another. But again, when you’re standing still, it means you’re actually falling behind.
“We are in the right direction, but we are not there where we have to be, there’s still a long way to go, there’s potential in this team and individual players,” Ten Hag said to the media yesterday, after United came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1.
“We showed during the season we made progress, that’s a compliment to the players and the coaches, we worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.
“The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do.”
He’s spot on, of course, but one situation looms large over the transfer window, and that is the ownership situation. Will the Glazers stay, and not sell?
Will Sir Jim Ratcliffe but a majority stake, and keep the Glazers in a smaller capacity? Will Sheikh Jassim and the Qataris take over in full?
Or does something else happen?
Until this is first resolved nothing major can truly happen at MUFC. Once they figure it out, there is of course the complicated Mason Greenwood situation. And it is further complicated by the fact that attack is the team’s biggest position group of need.
And that is in addition to their pressing need to find a long-term replacement for David de Gea.
Lots for Ten Hag and company to figure out, so hey, welcome to the silly season.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.