Manchester United lost their Europa League semi-final 2-1 to Sevilla on Sunday night.
This was their third semi-final loss of the season.
Despite a third-place finish in the Premier League and gaining Champions League qualification with that, Manchester United need more.
Manchester United Need More to Challenge for the Premier League Title
Up to Three Signings Not Enough
Paul Hirst, of The Times, claims Manchester United are looking to free up room for ‘up to three’ signings.
That simply will not be enough if they want to see a Premier League title challenge next season.
Several improvements are needed, many of which have been highlighted over the course of the 2019/20 season.
Defensive Improvements Still Needed
The defence is not quite complete. A decision will have to be made on the future of Dean Henderson, whether he is to succeed or compete with David De Gea or depart on loan again. Sergio Romero‘s future looks in doubt after being axed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for all three of United’s semi-finals this season, despite being the go-to cup goalkeeper.
Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire do not seem to be working as well as Solskjaer will have enthused and it may pay to sign another defender sooner rather than later. Eric Bailly is injury prone and has his own vulnerabilities. Axel Tuanzebe has also been on the sidelines far too often.
Sitting Midfielder Problem
Fred is a good midfielder, but questions remain as to whether he is good enough for Manchester United in the long run. Nemanja Matic has proven to be the best option to sit behind Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, but he is 32-years-old.
Depth Needed up Front
The pursuit of Jadon Sancho has been well-reported, but Manchester United must not take all summer chasing a single signature when they need much more. Three signings should be an absolute minimum, really.
Whilst Anthony Martial‘s form has been scintillating at times post-lockdown, he struggled to put the ball in the back of the net against Sevilla on Sunday, it could pay for United to have another central outlet of a high level to turn to when the Frenchman isn’t firing on all cylinders. They can probably get away with Odion Ighalo for now. Though Solskjaer’s decision to play his cards from the bench so late in the game indicates that he does not entirely trust the options available to him. If Manchester United are going to challenge for the Premier League title, they are going to have to be more ambitious.
Marcus Rashford had been one of United’s better players prior to the lockdown, but since the return, he has struggled to find his best form. United don’t seem to have someone with quality to replace him, with Daniel James out of sorts throughout the second half of the campaign.
A Need to Remain Realistic
Manchester United don’t necessarily have to go out there and panic buy a silly amount of players, but they do need to work towards improving the team, something that will take time.
In the current circumstances, a title challenge cannot be expected in 2020/21.
The Red Devils finished a whole 33 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool, this is not a gap that will be closed with one or two signings.
Champions League Not Going to Help
Champions League football is unlikely to help Manchester United in their domestic campaign either.
With the Europa League, they were able to field a weaker starting 11 and still get through the games they faced. This is something they cannot afford to do in the Champions League. They must field their best 11 in Europe’s elite competition.
This demands greater quality in depth at Old Trafford. It’s hard to see United adding enough players to both enhance the line-up and improve the strength in depth.
As a result, it seems like it’s going to take some time for Manchester United to re-establish themselves as the top of English football.
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