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19 May, 2013. That day in every Manchester United fan's memory. The day Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to their 13th and his last Premier League title before retiring as head coach of Manchester United after a stay of over 26 years at the club. Little did Sir Alex or any Manchester United fan realise that six years on, that title would still be the most recent for the club.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as an interim manager on 19 December, 2018, not even the most optimistic Manchester United fan would have imagined the impact Solskjaer would have in his first three months. 32 points in the Premier League of a possible 36; victory in the FA Cup away at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge; first manager to overturn a loss at home in a first leg of a Champions League knockout game at home; first to win manager of the month since Sir Alex Ferguson and the first Manchester United manager to win nine consecutive away games. Most important, he brought confidence to the players and fans at the club.
It is safe to say Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had taken fans and the board to dreamland, turning the clock back to a better, more successful time. So good was he that United even went back on their word of not naming a manager till the end of the season by confirming Ole at the wheel in March.
All of Manchester United’s problems seemed solved. Their best were firing again. Everyone believed that Solskjaer was going to take the same set of players who were languishing mid-table until he arrived into contenders for the Champions League and the Premier League in the near future.
However, since that incredible comeback in Paris, things have not lived up to expectations. Five defeats came in the next seven matches. United were eliminated from the FA Cup and the Champions League. Even their Champions League qualification for next season is hanging by a thread.
Manchester United have been rocked back to reality. The issues before Solskjaer’s appointment were real and they are for him and the board to fix over this summer and the next.
That being said, in preparation for a big summer ahead, United need to be in the best position to attract the best players. It means Manchester United must regain their confidence and form and finish the season in the top four Champions League spots.
Manchester United's need for a director of football
The first order of business for Manchester United in the summer is to appoint the Director of Football this club needs. What very few people will remember of that summer after 2013 was that Sir Alex Ferguson was not the only bigwig to walk away. He was followed by former Chief Executive David Gill, the man who worked behind the scenes in forming a link between Sir Ferguson and the board.
As good a financial man as Ed Woodward is, he isn’t a footballing mind -- proven by the signings United have made under him. The Red Devils have spent big bucks on signing marketable players, who have been great for their respective previous clubs but haven’t been given a definite role at United.
Angel Di Maria, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and even Paul Pogba have failed to live up to the weight of their price tags and expectations, not because they are bad players, but because they have lacked clarity over their role in the team.
Manchester United need a middle man, someone who can identify the kind of players they want, rather than signing a player to shoot up shirt sales and share prices.
Once that is done, Manchester United can go about rebuilding their squad and bridging the gap between themselves and the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League first and then the European elite of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
The deadwood needs to be gotten rid of
United have got to make some stern calls this summer, and servants of the club like Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have to be offloaded. It was noticeable in the game against Barcelona that Young -- crossing the ball from the right straight at the heads of Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet at Old Trafford, and then getting nutmegged by Lionel Messi in Nou Camp -- is past his prime, and that United need a right-winger.
Singing a right-winger should have been made a priority the moment Valencia was converted into a right-back. Jadon Sancho is the man on everyone’s lips and in Rio Ferdinand’s words: “English, young, hungry and talented, that's all I need to know. He will be an ideal fit at Manchester United”.
However, considering the recent failures of big money signings at Old Trafford, wildcard picks like Wilfried Zaha or Hirving Lozano could fit the bill. The next key focus area for Manchester United is a centre-back. As good as Victor Lindelof is on the ball and as talented as Eric Bailly is, Manchester United need a leader at the back.
The prominent name United have been linked with is that of the charismatic Ajax captain, Matthijs de Ligt. At 19 years of age, has led the Dutch club to Champions League semi-final. However, with his heart seemingly set on Barcelona, signings like Kalidou Koulibaly and Raphael Varane are rumoured too.
All three of them are superb players, and in their own way, an upgrade on the current options United have.
Also, depending on the contract situation of Ander Herrera, bolstering of depth in central midfield wouldn’t hurt United.
It has been a tumultuous time at Old Trafford since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, and Manchester United need to get the basics right again if they have to build a team to compete with the best in England and Europe.
Fasten your seat-belt Manchester United fans. Ole is well and truly at the wheel and he needs to press the accelerator this summer and make the tough calls needed to lead Manchester United back to where they were not too long ago.
