Three ways Manchester United could line up after the transfer window

At long last, we have confirmation that Erik ten Hag is staying at Manchester United.

United supporters, not to mention the Dutchman himself, have faced an agonising wait to see if their club will stick with the man who delivered an FA Cup last season — beating Manchester City in the final no less, just a year on from winning the EFL Cup — or begin the hunt for their sixth permanent manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

With the dugout settled, Man Utd must get to work quickly on improving their squad. Although bringing home the FA Cup got them into the Europa League and added a massive silver lining to the season, 2023/24 was simply not good enough for the Red Devils, who stumbled to an eighth-place finish, eight points clear of the Champions League spots — where they feel they belong.

So, who will Ten Hag go for when reshuffling his pack? Here, we’ve considered three possible post-transfer window line-ups, with dream, realistic and wildcard suggestions.

Dream

Although their defence wasn’t perfect — and we’ll get to that — a lack of goals seriously cost Man Utd in 2023/24. The Red Devils scored just 57 times in the Premier League, with eight teams managing more, while it left level with Crystal Palace and only one ahead of Brentford.

There are the makings of a potent forward line already at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes ending the season in sensational form and Alejandro Garnacho looking more and more like an elite talent as the months go by. However, thus far, Antony has been a very expensive flop, Rasmus Hojlund has been inconsistent at best and Marcus Rashford’s dip in form has not only cost him a place in the England squad, but also leaves him facing rumours he could leave the club.

The dream striker signing for Man Utd surely has to be Ollie Watkins. Currently a 20/1 shot with Sky Bet to move to Old Trafford, the former Brentford man was in sensational form for Aston Villa last season, scoring 19 goals and providing a league-high 13 assists to finish behind only Cole Palmer (33) for direct goal involvements (32) and firing his side to a shock Champions League berth. That was enough to earn him the spot as Harry Kane’s backup at Euro 2024, but what’s more, it has caused him to be linked with some big moves, including Man Utd.

“Next year will be very special,” Watkins said following Villa’s Champions League qualification, talking like a man staying put. But tunes can soon change when the big offers come in.

Ten Hag will need more than a new striker to revitalise his failing attack. Current reports suggest the FA Cup holders will attempt to hijack Chelsea’s move for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise.

United are currently priced at 7/2 to sign the Frenchman, behind the Blues, who are a 4/5 bet. And it’s not hard to see why they’d want to bring him north, with Olise hitting ten goals and six assists in the Premier League last season despite being restricted to just 19 appearances and 14 starts. Two of those goals came in Palace’s famous 4-0 thrashing of United at Selhurst Park in May, bringing his record against the Red Devils to three goals in just four appearances. If you can’t beat them, pay massive sums to make sure they join you.

There’s a lot to like about Man Utd’s midfield, especially with Fernandes at the point and Kobbie Mainoo connecting the dots. However, despite Scott McTominay’s goalscoring form last season, there’s room and need for more. At the very least, someone to come in and start learning the ropes with the view of joining Mainoo to become a superstar.

It’s hard to think of few better in that regard than Joao Neves. Still only 19 years old, Neves’ rise over the last 18 months has been incredible, and in 2023/24 especially, he established himself as a key player for Benfica.

Neves was second throughout the entire Primeira Liga for touches (2,524), passes attempted (1,995) and completed (1,794), while defensively, he was fourth for possessions won in the middle third (109). That’s without reeling off the metrics he placed in the top 20 for, such as interceptions, possessions won in the attacking third, final third passes completed, and take-ons completed. Neves can do it all, which is why he already has seven caps for Portugal.

Of course, Neves won’t be cheap with that ridiculously varied skillset and tender age. But it would be one hell of a statement signing from Manchester United and a serious upgrade in their midfield.

Finally, while their defence wasn’t the problem last season, it certainly wasn’t air-tight, ranking eighth for clean sheets with nine; it was half the amount of stat leaders Arsenal managed.

Ever since taking on the job, Ten Hag has been delighted to be working again with his former Ajax players. Antony and Lisandro Martínez joined him at Old Trafford before his first season, and André Onana switched from Inter Milan the following summer. Onana guarded the goal for the Amsterdammers during their remarkable run to the Champions League semi-final. The team was led by a teenage Matthijs de Ligt, who attracted interest from several top European clubs.

Eventually, he signed with Juventus, but his time in Serie A was not as successful as expected. De Ligt then moved to Bayern, and there are now reports that he could be on the move again this summer, possibly reuniting with Ten Hag. However, his price tag of £65 million could be a concern. If a potential De Ligt-Martínez partnership becomes a reality, it could strengthen United’s defence and align with Ten Hag’s preferences, as long as both players remain fit despite their history of injuries.

Finally, with Luke Shaw still struggling to stay consistently fit, it feels like United really needs a left-back. They’re being heavily linked with Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri right now, and while he won’t come cheap, he certainly fits the bill. The 23-year-old Algeria international has become a staple in the Wolves backline and possesses the speed and aggression vital in the Premier League.

Ait-Nouri is also very capable technically, figuring in the top five for Wolves players last season for passing accuracy (86.61%) and crosses attempted (41), and third for final third passes completed (3).

Realistic

Given how strongly they’re linked, De Ligt and Ait-Nouri could represent realistic options for Man Utd. However, Neves and Watkins may cost too much, especially with the latter set for Champions League football next season. And can they convince Olise to leave London when Chelsea is also circling?

But the Red Devils still desperately need strengthening in those areas, so who do they go for?

United is being linked with French midfielder Youssouf Fofana right now, and with just one more year to run on his contract, it feels increasingly like Monaco will cash in this summer while they still can.

Fofana has made Didier Deschamps’ squad for the Euros this summer, and despite the Les Bleus midfield featuring the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni — to name just two — he picks up his healthy share of minutes.

The 25-year-old can be a box-to-box midfielder but spent most of his time last season as a No.6 for Monaco, which would suit Mainoo perfectly as it’ll allow him to push forward closer to Fernandes. Despite his deeper role, Fofana still notched four goals and four assists in Ligue 1 last season, created 40 chances and was fourth in the league for through-balls attempted (13).

But can he protect his defence? Of course, he can. Fofana was second throughout the entire French top flight last season for possessions won in the middle third (132) and third for possessions won in the attacking third (28). At the same time, he averaged 2.03 tackles and 1.23 interceptions per 90 minutes.

Further forward, there are no problems with Garnacho, while it still feels farfetched that Marcus Rashford will leave the club despite his dip in form last season. We all saw how much that FA Cup win meant to him, and Ten Hag has shown great faith in him.

But who will compete with Hojlund? A cheaper option than Watkins, which is on the cards right now, is Dutch star Joshua Zirkzee. He’s a name that’s been around for a while now following his emergence at Bayern Munich, but finally, it looks like he’s cashing in on his talent.

• Man Utd transfer targets: Old Trafford switch may be on the cards for in-demand Joshua Zirkzee

Still 23 years old, Zirkzee returned 15 direct goal contributions in Serie A last season, scoring 11 times and providing four assists to help Bologna secure Champions League football. Meanwhile, only three players in the Italian top flight attempted more take-ons than the Netherlands youth international (124), who completed a solid 52 of them.

Zirkzee has a skillset that feels very well suited to the Premier League, and with a €40m release clause, this could be an open goal for Ten Hag to bring his compatriot on board.

Wildcard

Okay, it’s time to throw a few cats amongst the pigeons.

At times last season, it felt like Andre Onana was on a one-man mission to keep United competitive. And then, five minutes later, it was as if he’d decided to give up and give the game to the opposition. He divided opinion, that’s for sure. While it’s difficult to see Ten Hag giving up on his former Ajax stopper just yet, United are currently priced at 7/1 with Sky Bet to sign out-of-favour Arsenal stopper Aaron Ramsdale, with only Atletico Madrid (5/1) and Newcastle (4/6) given lower odds. Ramsdale has all the ball-playing qualities of Onana but perhaps feels like a steadier, less panic-attack-inducing option.

There’s every chance Bayern will dig in this summer to keep De Ligt around, anchoring their defence for one more year as Vincent Kompany seeks to stabilise the club in their pursuit of becoming German champions again. One alternative, though, is bringing Jarrad Branthwaite on board from Everton, but the Toffees cannot go to their new stadium as a Championship club. Moreover, Amadou Onana represents another sellable asset that could help balance the books.

In that case, Antonio Silva feels like an excellent option to revitalise Ten Hag’s defence. Like Neves, Silva has enjoyed a rapid rise with Benfica and has made Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad for Euro 2024. The 20-year-old was the top performer in the entire Primeira Liga for possessions won in the defensive third (117) in 2023/24, while he averaged a very healthy 2.2 tackles and 3.06 clearances per 90 minutes. Standing at over 6ft 1″, Silva could provide the height and poise in Ten Hag’s defence while Lisandro Martinez continues to act as the pitbull.

Next up, Mats Wieffer is the do-it-all Dutchman who operates in a deeper role but also enjoys carrying the ball forward after regaining possession. He has the exact skillset and physical profile needed to complete Ten Hag’s midfield puzzle having finished in the Eredivisie’s top 10 for tackles, interceptions, and possessions won in the middle third — finishing top of the latter — as well as final third passes attempted/completed and, specifically among midfielders, big chances created.

And if you want to push the boat out in the forward line, it feels like every man and his dog wants Viktor Gyokeres at the moment following his ridiculous 43-goal, title-winning debut season in Portugal with Sporting CP.

Gyokeres finished among the Primeira Liga’s top three players for take-ons attempted (147) and completed (68), and won possession more times in the attacking third than anyone else in the division (43). He’s an absolute monster and has already proven he can do it in England in some capacity with Coventry City.

And then, finally, what about a return to Old Trafford for Jadon Sancho? You couldn’t have even whispered those words just a few months ago given his fallout with Ten Hag. However, the England international was sensational back on loan at Dortmund in the second half of last season, helping Die Schwarzgelben reach the Champions League final.

It’s still unclear whether or not Sancho and Ten Hag have patched things up, but the winger is priced at evens to stay with Manchester United, so it’s about time they both extended their respective olive branches for the good of the team.