Manchester United’s season lurched to another disappointment on Tuesday as they fought out a dour 0-0 draw at home with Valencia in the Champions League, that coming on the back of a 3-1 Premier League loss at West Ham and an early exit from the Carabao Cup.
Many believe a squad overhaul is needed in January and next summer.
Here Samuel Luckhurst looks at the issues facing the Red Devils.
It was an eerie Louis van Gaal tribute act from Manchester United on Tuesday night; the bus was late, the football rigid, the game goalless and a substitution elicited the loudest reaction from the Old Trafford crowd.
Only three years ago, Van Gaal was booed for withdrawing Anthony Martial for Marouane Fellaini in an agricultural 1-0 Champions League group win over CSKA Moscow. Martial was involved again this week, only there were some cheers as Alexis Sanchez’s number flashed up on the fourth official’s board.
Sanchez has become as embarrassing as the prime minister’s dancing and, like Theresa May, his movement was tinged with disrespect. Rather than hurry off with 14 minutes left, he sulkily ambled towards the touchline until voluble sections of the crowd demanded he quicken his stride. Some offered genuine applause in an effort to stave off the mutiny and Sanchez reciprocated as he neared the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and spotted a few fans clapping. Jose Mourinho blanked him.
It has got so dire that Arsenal now appear to have got the better end of the swap deal with the stat-padding Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Mourinho must have hoped including Sanchez in the travelling squad to West Ham, only to omit him from the matchday 18, would fuel the Chilean yet it has doused him. Sanchez looks utterly bereft and can have no complaints if given a bench berth against Newcastle on Saturday.
Sanchez’s United legacy could eventually be a positive one, albeit without a meaningful on-pitch contribution. As unconvincing as the United hierarchy’s excuses were for not fully backing Mourinho in the summer transfer window, their qualms over his short-term strategy are understandable and date back two years before his appointment.
An expensive late-20 something busted flush with eye-watering wages? No, not Sanchez; Radamel Falcao. He was 28 upon his arrival at United for a £6m loan fee with £265,000 weekly wages. The total outlay for Falcao’s 37-week stay was calculated at £15.8m. Falcao has still scored more for United than Sanchez, 29. Perhaps Sanchez will abscond to Ligue 1.
United have not negotiated with Jorge Mendes for a playing signing since and are unlikely to touch base with Sanchez’s adviser Fernando Felicevich again. The Mendes-represented Angel di Maria was ousted by Ashley Young and the curse of the number seven continues at United with Sanchez. United have been burnt by burnt-out marquee names.
It makes United’s approach in the market next year, regardless of who the manager is, particularly fascinating. Ed Woodward realised after the amateurish 2013 transfer window he needed de facto advisers, hence why he tightened United’s relationship with Mendes, whose daughter enjoyed work experience at Old Trafford.
Read More
Reaction to Manchester United's stalemate with Valencia
Mourinho’s desire to be reunited with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and admiration for Paul Pogba in 2016 prompted Woodward to contact Mino Raiola. That association was so cosy the makeweight Mkhitaryan joined in the same summer and the trio’s positive performances emboldened United to blindside Chelsea for Raiola stablemate, Romelu Lukaku. Only two remain.
Now Raiola has shown his true colours and Woodward is five years into the role, United are unlikely to be dependent on the ‘super-agent’ next summer. Woodward’s market struggles have convinced him to renege on his resistance to appoint a director of football, and one ought to be installed well in advance of the summer window opening.
The emphasis on younger players preceded last week’s announcement United’s debt was £253.7m. United experienced a frugal summer in which they spent £73.2m on three players; a drastic drop of £67.7m from the previous summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson infamously proclaimed in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s world record £80m sale in 2009 there was ‘no value in the market’ and in 2012 derided the £6m agents’ fees Chelsea forked out for Eden Hazard.
United bought Shinji Kagawa instead, mindful he had entered the final year of his Borussia Dortmund deal. The £6m is a drop in the ocean compared with the £41m Raiola drew from the Pogba deal and, coincidentally, senior United sources partly cited agents’ demands behind their frugal market in August.
It was also nine years ago that United suddenly settled on a new policy not to sign players aged over 26, a run only broken by the addition of the 28-year-old Robin van Persie in 2012. Conveniently, he had less than 12 months remaining on his Arsenal deal. Michael Owen was the freebie exception.
The Glazernomics may prompt a return of the green and gold scarves around Old Trafford but it is high-time United thought outside the box and Woodward overcame his obsession with potential Ballon d’Or nominees. They have not unearthed a genuine gem since Jim Lawlor clapped eyes on Javier Hernandez in 2010 and former transfer scout Javier Ribalta drafted up an expensive and mainly unattainable shortlist of centre halves.
Only United do not have the motivational machine that is Ferguson to paper over the cracks and there is a need for proven (eg. Toby Alderweireld at centre-half), rather than potential players, in areas overrun by quantity and low on quality.
The parallels are eerie, though.
