It's clear that this current Manchester United squad is a work in progress, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer part of a long-term project to try and get the club back challenging for titles in the next few seasons.
United's transfer strategy has been to sign young, hungry players who are yet to reach their potential, allowing their talents to grow as the club progresses.
Daniel James, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were all signed by the club this summer, with the hope that they will be in the first team in the long-term, with players like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay and Luke Shaw also viewed as the future of the club's first eleven.
So, will United continue with this strategy over the next few seasons? And, how will this strategy work out over the long-term for the club?
We used Football Manager 2020 to take a look at how the next decade could pan out for Manchester United.
Manchester United in 2019/20
Manchester United transfers in 2019/20
Solskjaer made a high profile January signing, spending £46 million on Feyenoord winger Steven Bergwijn.
Manchester United transfers out 2019/20
Phil Jones was also shipped out in January, going to West Ham for a deal worth up to £14 million.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2019/20
Standout players were Martial, Mata and Rashford, who all featured in the best performing eleven.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2019/20
Martial and Rashford lead the way in terms of goalscoring, with Pogba, Lingard and Mata getting 10 or more in all competitions.
2019/20 Premier League table
Solskjaer's side had a decent season, finishing 4th in the Premier League, just two points above 6th place Tottenham.
Manchester United in 2020/21
Manchester United transfers in 2020/21
United went big in the summer of 2020, spending £187million on Dele Alli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bruno Fernandes and Loic Nego.
Manchester United transfers out 2020/21
Solskjaer got rid of some of the fringe players, selling Fred, Andreas Pereira and Nemanja Matic, whilst Jesse Lingard was sent on loan to Wolves.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2020/21
Bruno Fernandes had an incredible impact, scoring 26 goals and contributing 30 assists in all competitions, as United's squad looked a lot stronger.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2020/21
Fernandes' goal record was sublime, with Pogba, Rashford, Alli, Martial, Greenwood and Bergwijn all having good seasons.
2020/21 Premier League table
United had a great season, finishing 2nd in the Premier League, just five points behind Man City and four ahead of Liverpool.
United lost the Carabao Cupf final to fierce rivals Man City.
But Solskjaer's side got their revenge in the FA Cup final, beating Man City 2-0 in the final, with Rashford and Alli scoring at Wembley.
Manchester United in 2021/22
Manchester United transfers in 2021/22
United spent another £117million in the summer of 2021, bringing in Lewis Cook, James Maddison, Danny Rose and Cherif Senoussi.
Manchester United transfers out 2021/22
But, this was offset by the departure of Marcus Rashford to Chelsea for £121 million, with United allowing him to go due to Greenwood's emergence into the team.
Scott McTominay, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Timothy Fosu-Mensah were also sold.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2021/22
Fernandes was again United's best player, with Greenwood becoming the first choice striker ahead of Martial.
But, the back five remained the same as 2019/20.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2021/22
Fernandes outscored everyone, with Greenwood and Alli also having strong seasons.
2021/22 Premier League table
United finished 3rd in 2021/22, behind Liverpool and Man City and lost in the Champions League quarter-finals against Barcelona.
At the end of the season, Solksjaer resigned as manager.
No reason was given for his resignation, but it seemed to be agreed by mutual consent.
A bit harsh?
Manchester United in 2022/23
Manchester United turned to, can you believe it, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp!
The German had been sacked by Liverpool at the end of the 2021/22 season, so was free to take the reigns at Old Trafford.
Manchester United transfers in 2022/23
The former Liverpool boss spent a whopping £304 million in the summer of 2022, spending £79 million on Federico Chiesa, £53 million on Ruben Dias, £40.5 million on Wilfred Ndidi and £29 million on striker Krzysztof Piatek.
Manchester United transfers out 2022/23
There was a clear out of sorts, with Loic Nego, Lingard, James, Chong, Gomes and Laird all sold by Klopp.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2022/23
Klopp employed a 4-3-3 formation, with Greenwood leading the line.
Chiesa scored the most that season from the right position, with Pellegrini registering the most assists.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2022/23
Greenwood had his best goal return yet, scoring 18 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions.
2022/23 Premier League table
But, a 4th place finish saw Klopp sacked after just 341 days in the job, with a win percentage of just 57% overall.
Manchester United in 2023/24
United appointed former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre as the new manager at Old Trafford.
The Swiss manager was available after leaving Dortmund, where he had just beaten Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title.
Manchester United transfers in 2023/24
The former Nice manager spent another massive sum, £224 million to be precise, buying Dayot Upamecano, Jose Gimenez, Gedson Fernandes, Benjamin Nygren and Greg Taylor.
Manchester United transfers out 2023/24
But Favre sold £180 million worth of players, with Piatek, Ndidi, Romero and Tuanzebe all being sold for big money.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2023/24
The Swiss manager played a 4-2-3-1, with Greenwood up front, Pogba and Fernandes deep.
For the first time in this decade, Maguire, Shaw and Lindelof became back ups, with only Wan-Bissaka remaining as first choice in defence.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2023/24
Greenwood had a sensational season, scoring 21 goals in 44 appearances, whilst Fernandes, Alli and Chiesa also played their part.
2023/24 Premier League table
United earned an impressive 82 points under Favre, but could only finish 3rd, with City and Liverpool leading the way once more.
Manchester United in 2024/25
Manchester United transfers in 2024/25
Favre's second season featured even more money being spent, with £214 million on Moussa Diaby, Ruben Vinagre, Thomas Buitink, Charly Musonda, Danny Ward and more.
Manchester United transfers out 2024/25
There was a decent clear out too, with Maddison, Dalot, Henderson, Garner and Martial all farmed out.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2024/25
Favre kept with his 4-2-3-1, but played Alli as the number 10 in this campaign.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2024/25
Greenwood again was top scorer, with 20 goals in 49 appearances.
2024/25 Premier League table
Again, United finished third, with Liverpool and City still dominant.
This led to Favre's resignation, after two seasons at the helm.
Manchester United in 2025/26
United's next choice of manager was former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
Manchester United transfers in 2025/26
Zidane spent nearly £200 million in his first window, signing Diogo Jota from Juventus (Zebre), Thomas Lemar, Declan Rice and Konstantinos Mavropanos, formally of Arsenal.
Manchester United transfers out 2025/26
And, one of the first things the Frenchman did was to sell Lindelof and Maguire, with Maguire being let go on a free and Lindelof going to Dynamo Kiev.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2025/26
United returned to a 4-3-3 system under Zidane, with Lemar and Chiesa wide, with a midfield three of Pogba, Fernandes and Rice.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2025/26
Greenwood was now unequivocally one of the best striker's in Europe, scoring at a very consistent rate.
2025/26 Premier League table
But, Zidane's first season ended up being a massive disappointment, as United managed just a 5th place finish in the Premier League.
Manchester United in 2026/27
Manchester United transfers in 2026/27
Zidane made one big signing in the summer of 2026, signing midfielder Frenkie de Jong from PSG for £121 million.
Manchester United transfers out 2026/27
There was a big clear out too, with £109 million being recuperated by the sale of Jucilei, Nygren, Cook and others.
Manchester United best eleven and stats in 2026/27
Greenwood was top scorer again, but Lemar was really finding his feet and was the club's best player under Zidane, registering 19 assists.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2026/27
Greenwood, Cheisa, Lemar and Fernandes led the goal scoring charts.
2026/27 Premier League table
Zidane managed a 3rd place finish and a return to Champions League football, whilst also winning a major trophy, the FA Cup.
Manchester United in 2027/28
Manchester United transfers in 2027/28
It was quality over quantity for Zidane again the following season, with Pedri being signed from Barcelona for over £100 million.
Manchester United transfers out 2027/28
Jota was sold after one season, but for a profilt.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2027/28
Pedri replaced an aging Pogba in the midfield this season, with De Jong getting 14 assists and Greenwood again providing the goals.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2027/28
Pedri managed an impressive 14 goals from midfield, with Greenwood scoring 21 in 52 appearances.
2027/28 Premier League table
United still finished in the Champions League places, but a 4th place finish was the most his side could do.
But United almost reached a Champions League final, losing to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final.
Manchester United in 2028/29
Manchester United transfers in 2028/29
Zidane kept his job and immediately secured the signing of wonderkids Younes Thouvenin and Arber Morina from Monaco and Ajax respectively, for a combined fee of £108.5 million.
Manchester United transfers out 2028/29
Delli Alli, Ruben Vinagre and Mavropanos were all sold in that summer.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2028/29
Youngster Chris Hewitt, a product of United's youth system, broke into the first team and partnered Gedson Fernandes and De Jong in midfield.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka maintained his place in the side, but David De Gea's long-term replacement had been found in Morina and the Spaniard found himself on the bench.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2028/29
Greenwood, Chiesa and Pedri were the main goal threats in 2028/29.
2028/29 Premier League table
United finished 4th in the Premier League, yet again, under Zidane.
They also won the Carabao Cup, beating Everton in the final.
But, for two United legends, it was now the end of their careers, as both De Gea and Pogba announced their retirement from football, at the ages of 38 and 36 respectively.
Manchester United in 2029/30
Manchester United transfers in 2029/30
An ageing Ruben Neves arrived in the summer of 2029, with Cristian Umeres and Scott Greatorex also being brought in for a total of just under £100 million.
Manchester United transfers out 2029/30
Nubel, Woodburn and Fuentes were all sold for decent money, with United's net spending the lowest it had been all decade long.
Manchester United best XI and stats in 2029/30
Wonderkid Thouvenin took Greenwood's (now 28) place in the first XI, with Chiesa having a great season from the right.
Manchester United top goalscorers in 2029/30
Chiesa, Thouverin, Pedri, Greenwood and Lemar all scored 10 goals or more during the season.
2029/30 Premier League table
ANOTHER 4th place finish for Zidane's United.
But, they did manage to win two domestic trophies, both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, with Zidane proving strong in knockout competitions.
Manchester United's team of the decade (2020-2030)
Overall, this is United's Team of the Decade.
Arber Morina; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Dayot Upamecano, Ruben Dias, Viraly Mykolenko; Rice, Bruno Fernandes, Dele Alli; Bergwign, Greenwood, Chiesa.
With David De Gea, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba, Thomas Lemar, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Anthony Martial just missing out.
Manchester United's managerial history from 2020-2030
Manchester United had four managers in this decade, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jurgen Klopp, Lucien Favre and Zinedine Zidane.
These are their managerial records at United.
Solskjaer (2019-2022)
Klopp (2022-2023)
Favre (2023-2025)
Zidane (2025-present)
Manchester United's Premier League finishing position (2020-30)
2019/20: 4th
2020/21: 2nd
2021/22: 3rd
2022/23: 4th
2023/24: 3rd
2024/25: 3rd
2025/26: 5th
2026/27: 3rd
2027/28: 4th
2028/29: 4th
2029/30: 4th
Manchester United's spending history (2020-30)
Here are the top transfers in from every season in the next decade.
Here are the top transfers out from every season in the next decade.
Manchester United Legends and Icons - 2020-30
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now a club legend, as a player and a manager.
Federico Chiesa and Thomas Lemar are United Icons, after their great careers at the club.
Paul Pogba, Dele Alli, Younes Thouvenin and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are also favoured personnel with the fans.
Manchester United trophies won from 2020-2030
2019/20 - No trophies won
2020/21 - FA Cup
2026/27 - FA Cup
2027/28 - Community Shield
2028/29 - Carabao Cup
2029/30 - FA Cup and Carabao Cup
Where are Manchester United's 2019/20 side in 2030?
Where will the current United squad end up in 2030?
Well, here is your answer.
Wan-Bissaka and Greenwood are still at United.
Harry Maguire, Pogba, Juan Mata, Lingard, Matic, Bailly and Ashley Young are all retired.
De Gea (Director of Football), Luke Shaw (Assistant Manager), Anthony Martial (Coach), Andreas Pereira (Scout) all pursuing careers in different areas.
Football Manager 2020 predicts that Manchester United will sign the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Dele Alli, Declan Rice, James Maddison, Danny Rose, Ruben Dias and many more top players over the next decade.
The game also predicts six trophy wins, but no Premier League or European trophies, with Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane and Lucien Favre all spending time as manager at Old Trafford.
But, United will be regular finishers in the top four under these managers, so that is at least an improvement of where the team is now.
What do you think of this prediction?
