Manchester United have already signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, while Raphael Varane is on the verge of joining the club from Real Madrid.
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Manchester United enjoyed a positive season last time around, finishing second in the Premier League table. They also reached the Europa League final before losing it to Villarreal in penalty shootout. In an attempt to bolster the squad, United have signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, and Raphael Varane is expected to join the team immediately from Real Madrid. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feels that further signings will be a “bonus” following their impressive summer business. “Anything from now is a bonus,” United manager Solskjaer replied when asked about further signings before the deadline.
“I have to say that with the two signings we’ve got, we’ve strengthened where we wanted to strengthen. Let’s see what happens. You never know in football. Anything can happen, ins and outs.” Manchester United are a club that is regularly linked with several players across the globe. There are always speculations about players coming in or going out. Paul Pogba is one such player, who is rumoured to be gaining interest from other clubs.
Paris Saint-Germain is said to be linked with the Frenchman, who is out of contract at Old Trafford next summer. “I hope every player thinks this is the place to be to win trophies,” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “When you sign for Manchester United, you have to rise to the challenge. Paul has come back and he’s fresh and he’s always such a positive boy. The talks I’ve had with him have all been positive.”
Manchester United’s manager feels that it is important for the club to sign the “right characters”. Asked if that need to get is why it is important to be patient in the transfer market like they were in pursuit of Sancho from Dortmund, Solskjaer said, “Definitely, and that’s what the club and the owners have been very good at as well.”
“We had an open dialogue where we said, OK, if we didn’t get him there’s no point for me signing someone we don’t want when, Jadon for example, when he becomes available again we can go and get him. If we had signed someone else then we would have had a right winger. It’s about getting the right characters. I think we proved that last year with Edinson (Cavani). Bringing Edi in was so important and he’s shown the way for many.”
Manchester United have not won a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season with the club in 2013. With the promising new additions, the club might be in line to challenge for the top spot in the upcoming season. In order to have a successful season, a positive start is imperative. Last season, the club started very slowly and took time before reaching their usual heights.
“We need a big squad,” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “The start is important, the whole season is important, but you need to arrive in April and May fresh and with enough options. Some might go on loan until Christmas, some might go for a season but I don’t want to be too light in any position.”
Tom Heaton joined this summer to add depth to the goalkeeping department that already has David De Gea and Dean Henderson. “It depends on the characters you’ve got and how they gel,” Solskjaer said of the goalkeeping situation. “It’s healthy competition. If you’re too comfortable, I don’t think you get the best out of yourself.
“You need an edge and you need an edge of ‘if I don’t perform, someone else is going to take my place’ but it has to be healthy for the team and healthy for the group. If it’s toxic and it’s energy-sapping that’s not great. Last year it was a new situation for David and a new situation for Dean. This year, let’s see how it works out.”
