It has now been 913 days since a Jose Mourinho team last won away against a side in the top six in the Premier League, stretching back to November 2014. Despite Manchester United being one of the most expensive teams in Premier League history, even top four is seemingly out of reach for Mourinho and his men.
There is no doubt that even though this side is expensive, it is still extremely underwhelming, especially defensively. Therefore, this summer Mourinho has a lot of work to do if he is to build a side capable of challenging for the Premier League.
However, with United’s financial power and Mourinho’s track record of spending, it seems inevitable he will build on his current squad.
Here we look at five positions where Manchester United should strengthen for the 2017/18 Premier League season.
#1 Centre back
Manchester United have plenty of centre-backs on their books, however, there are very few who Mourinho will want in the near future. Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Daley Blind have all featured at the position this season and they have drastically underperformed on most occasions.
Most notably Chris Smalling, who was considered as an important part of England’s future, has had a very poor season with many people believing him to be way down the pecking order for the England national team.
If the Red Devils want to mount a title challenge next season, it is crucial they solidify their current defence. Moreover, with David De Gea possibly leaving in the summer, it is crucial they improve their defensive issues.
Even though statistics prove that United have conceded the second least amount of goals this season, their defence has not represented such stability. It could be said that if United did not have De Gea in goal and with their defensive style of football, they may have conceded more goals this season due to poor defending.
#2 Left Back
The Red Devils have played Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Ashley Young and Luke Shaw at left back so far this season as Mourinho has failed to find a player who can nail down a starting place at the spot. Shaw has been specifically hounded out by Mourinho on a number of occasions for his mediocre performances, which caused a lot of outrage from the fans who believe he’s only been given limited game time.
The Englishman came to the club from Southampton for £30 million – hailed as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League. However, injuries and inconsistent performances have seen him fail to perform to his potential. Additionally, the 21-year-old has also been criticised for being unfit on a couple of occasions.
Of the four players mentioned above, Luke Shaw is the only natural left-back to play in that position this season. With his relationship with Mourinho being slightly sour, he may seek a way out of Old Trafford next season.
This would mean United certainly need to strengthen the left back position for the upcoming season.
Also Read: 5 left-backs Manchester United could replace Luke Shaw and Daley Blind with
#3 Centre Midfield
It has become increasingly clear that Paul Pogba is integral to this Manchester United side – and his importance is magnified when he has not been part of the line-up.
However, United arguably only have one ideal partner for the Frenchman, Ander Herrera. The former Athletic Bilbao man is a talented player at the centre and has had a great season for the Red Devils, but their depth ends there.
Michael Carrick is 35 years old and is only likely to sign a one-year deal if he wants to, which doesn’t bode well for the future. There is also Marouane Fellaini, but if United are truly building a squad to challenge for the Premier League title, they have to look for an upgrade over the Belgian.
This is undoubtedly one of the most important positions where Mourinho must strengthen, with two midfielders arguably needed in the next transfer window due to their lack of depth.
#4 Winger
United certainly have talent on the wings, there is no arguing that fact. But, the talent which they have may not be suitable going forward whilst Mourinho manages Manchester United.
Anthony Martial has scored just four goals and made five assists in this Premier League season, performing the opposite of how he did last season, where many were tipping him to become a Premier League great. Juan Mata only has six goals and three assists this season which, similarly to Martial, is not a very productive season at all.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been very good since he began playing for the first team and has been one of the very few players to impress in the wide areas.
With United’s financial superiority over other clubs, they will still be able to attract top players to their club even if they do not get Champions League football. It is important that they do bring in at least one winger this summer, regardless of what European competition they are in because they currently have many makeshift wide players.
It is even more important that they players that they do bring to the club fit the system and suit Mourinho’s style of play, because the current wingers clearly do not.
Also Read: 5 players who have let Jose Mourinho down this season
#5 Striker
Striker is most probably the most crucial position where a player is required on the red side of Manchester this summer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is very unlikely to sign a new deal and will be out of action until at least the new year and Mourinho is unconvinced the striker will even be able to play at the top level after this long-term injury.
Marcus Rashford is a very exciting young talent at United. At just 19 years old, he has had two incredible seasons now and he is only likely to get better.
But, United cannot afford to rely on just Rashford next season, and their only other strikers are Martial, who has been inconsistent, and Wayne Rooney, who has shown no signs recently of being able to play through the middle for a title challenging side.
There has been a lot of talk about Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and a whole host of strikers joining the club this summer. This clearly means everybody, including United, have recognised that a new striker is a certainty to happen this summer.
Also Read: 5 never-ending transfer sagas we could see in the summer of 2017
