Manchester United end the transfer window with a far superior squad than last season.
After strengthening in keys areas, United are all set to challenge for silverware this campaign.
An article by James Ducker (The Telegraph) throws light on why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to manage the squad appropriately.
He mentions: “Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho’s arrivals for an initial £120 million have provided an injection of quality up front, at centre half and on the wing.”
“But United’s success this season may be dictated as much by how well Solskjaer manages the playing time, morale and disgruntlement of those suddenly at risk of feeling like spare parts.”
“As the transfer window closed on Tuesday night, the likes of Edinson Cavani, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Eric Bailly could have been forgiven for wondering what the next nine months hold for them.”
“Mason Greenwood, United’s best player so far this term, and Victor Lindelof may require even more careful handling.”
The arrival of Ronaldo means Solskjaer has plenty of options to choose from in attack. It will be fascinating to see how the Norwegian manages Cavani after persuading him to stay another year at United.
As seen last season, the Uruguayan remains a vital part of the team and can chip in with crucial goals.
United have had a relatively successful transfer window as compared to previous summers. Negotiations for Sancho and Varane were swift and efficient.
Also, signing Ronaldo was the icing on top, which might turn out to be the Red Devils’ most significant signing in the post-Ferguson era.
The club, however, failed to address the midfield, leaving plenty of fans worried about the team’s prospects against superior opposition.
Ducker doesn’t believe that this should be any excuse for Man United to not compete for top honours this season.
He states: “Whatever transpires at Manchester United this season, there should be few complaints about a shortage of options available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.”
“The United manager may still lack a world-class defensive midfielder, but others have been dealt poorer hands in the past and won the Premier League title.”