Ever since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, every transfer window has been rather dull for Manchester United. David Moyes started the rebuilding process but didn’t even last a complete season. Louis Van Gaal resumed the rebuilding of the team, but barring Anthony Martial, no other player did enough justice to their transfer fee.
The transaction of Angel Di Maria saw United breaking the British transfer record but sold him for a hefty loss in a matter of one year.
With the new Adidas deal in 2014, United were going after most of the coveted players but the deals never materialized. Ultimately the board ended up paying way above the market value on players who now seem unwanted.
Nobody can claim that United’s decline can be attributed to mundane transfer windows, but their transfer activity was never proficiently chalked out to compete with the giants in Europe.
This year, though, the United hierarchy seems to have got their act together. With the appointment of ‘The Special One’, the hopes of United fans has skyrocketed. It seems that Jose Mourinho has done his homework before taking over the hot seat at Old Trafford and signed the players that he wanted before the first game of the new season.
Let’s have a look at the signings and analyse their potential impact on the team:
#1 Eric Bailly
Mourinho’s first signing for United and it’s a pretty good one. Though the £30 million deal for a 22-yearold may seem exorbitant, the Ivorian center back is highly rated and had interests from other top clubs as well.
Mourinho likes physically strong defenders to man the backline and Bailly is just that. Bailly was the replacement for Arsenal’s Gabriel at Villareal, and the Ivorian had a stellar season at Villarreal with 35 appearances and 1 goal from defence.
He is tall, well-built and is good in the air. His pace is another parameter that makes him perfectly well equipped to perform well in the EPL. The tall centre back looks a certain starter and will be paired with either Smalling or Blind at the heart of the defence
He has already shown that he is more than capable of being a leader in defence in the three Premier League matches he has played so far.
Rating: 8/10
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
This man needs no introduction. It’s a luxury for any team to have someone like him in their team. The Swedish striker was out of contract at PSG last season, and his former manager from his days at Inter, Jose Mourinho, persuaded him to come to Manchester.
A free agent and a top player, he amassed 50 goals in 51 matches for PSG last season. It can be safely said that United have acquired a proven goalscorer to solve their striking problems.
It may be argued that at 34, he is past his prime and a weekly wage of £200,000 is on the higher side. But the kind of form he is in and the lack of a talisman up front for United makes him a perfect fit.
His record across the various leagues that he had played in is mindblowing - winning a trophy each year since 2001. His dynamic attitude and goal scoring ability from unexpected positions will be a treat to watch for United and EPL fans.
He has started his career remarkably well in England and has already scored important goals.
Rating: 9/10
#3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
It took some negotiating between the two clubs to finalise the deal to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the 27-year-old finally joined on a 4-year contract.
Given, how United lack creativity in attack, he might well turn out to be the best buy for United. With 23 goals and 32 assists last season, he was voted the Bundesliga player of the year by his fellow professionals.
Mkhitaryan likes to operate on the right, left, or centre supporting the main striker. His creditability as a goalscorer and a playmaker will be an asset for Mourinho to execute his tactics to perfection. The former BVB man will probably replace Mata and will add freshness and verve to United’s attack.
The Armenian international is at the peak of his career and has a lot to offer to the United team. It’s only a matter of time before United manager Jose Mourinho hands him a starting berth.
Rating: 8.5/10
#4 Paul Pogba
Manchester United had to part way with the promising midfielder for a nominal fee, back in 2012, after he rejected a new deal under Sir Alex Ferguson. United were interested in bringing him back and after a long transfer saga, the club finally struck a deal with Juventus bring the midfielder home.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is finally back after establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. Manchester United went the Real Madrid way to lure a player by dishing out a whopping sum.
The record-breaking deal speaks volume about the quality and importance of the player. Though the fee is something really astonishing, the deal seems fair enough for both sides. What United lacked is a world-class midfielder and what United have is the money to invest.
Pogba had to give up UCL football to return to the club he left under unwanted circumstances. He seems to be already enjoying life at Manchester as is evidence from his posts on social media.
Sidelined due to the ban in the season opener, Mourinho wasted no time further and deployed him in the very next match. The first match he played on his second coming was excellent and he will only get better as he gains match fitness.
Rating: 9/10
