Manchester United will be going in search of their first Premier League victory of 2022 when they lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
United, who beat Villa 1-0 in the third-round of the FA Cup on Monday evening at Old Trafford, will be determined to get three points on the board and bridge the gap to the top-four, ahead of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United all playing on Sunday.
The Reds, despite their performances not being as glittering and stylish as hoped, have seen their results improve since appointing Ralf Rangnick as interim manager at the very end of November, but pressure is mounting on the German to get more out of his players.
As well as United's supporters expressing frustration at United's recent showings, they are also keen to see a new midfielder signed in this month's January transfer window, with the clock continuing to tick.
On Thursday, MEN Sport's chief United writer Samuel Luckhurst hosted a Q&A in an attempt to try and answer as many questions as possible that United's supporters had, ranging from transfer activity to who could become the club's next permanent manager and Rangnick's consultancy role.
Q: There's a few decent players out of contract either this summer or next, players that would improve us. Have you heard any rumblings on [Denis] Zakaria, [Franck] Kessie, [Antonio] Rudiger, [Boubacar] Kamara, or even [Dusan] Vlahovic? All potential cut-price deals and would offset the losses on the likes of [Paul] Pogba and [Jesse] Lingard.
SL: Almost all of these are players out of contract in the summer, aren't they? I don't think that's a recommended recruitment strategy - especially at United - just going out there and picking up whoever is available on a free. When a player is nearly out of contract, the go-to tactic is to link them with United even though, in 99 per cent of cases, United are never going to sign the player. There is a lot of guff out there from those who don't cover United on a regular basis.
Q: What are the chances of signing a central-midfielder if Donny van de Beek gets loaned out?
SL: The chances of either happening are low. Those close to Van de Beek don't expect anything to materialise this month, as my colleague Tyrone Marshall reported, and United have not made any positive noises about an incoming this month. The feeling going into it was it would be a month of low-level deals and so far that has proven to be the case.
With Fernandes two years ago, United had tracked the player for around six months and the first puff of smoke emerged midway through the month. So going off that precedent, there is still time for something to happen but everyone's feeling is nothing will. If the squad had been managed better by Solskjaer (ie. cut down to size) then there would have been more sense in going for a player.
Q: Is there going to be a clear-out for players in the summer and a new rebuild? Is Erik ten Hag the main candidate for managerial position?
SL: Someone high up at United has said they can sell players now, which is a position they haven't been in very often. It was a strange comment, almost as if they know they can't sell a player who is contracted to the club for a certain length of time. United are infamously bad sellers dating back to Sir Alex Ferguson's time when they would sell players for cut-price fees (apart from Ronaldo). It was seldom an issue as they usually won something significant.
All of the out of contract players should go in the summer. The next coach has a decision to make with Dean Henderson, who has no problem with being sold but United have not indicated if they intend to do that. Phil Jones will have a year left on his contract and might be sellable again. Anthony Martial would appeal to a number of clubs.
So, in theory, United could/should be proactive in the seller's market. But, in most cases, they struggle to sell players unless a player is so staunch about leaving or they are into the last year of their contract.
Q: With Eric Bailly potentially leaving for Milan on loan, are there any plans to bring in another CB? An injury or two in that position and we are really struggling for depth. I'm not too sure that Phil Jones can be relied upon too heavily.
SL: Bailly is at AFCON and the final is on February 6. I would be amazed if he leaves on loan.
Fans need to read between the lines. Bailly does want out but knows it's not going to happen this month, so it's a case of 'let's get the ball rolling ahead of the summer'.
Q: Hi Samuel, saw Tyrone Marshall's article about Van de Beek being offered to Newcastle and Dortmund and by the looks of the last few lines of the article it seems it's more of his agent offering him around than United offering him out? The article also states it's unlikely to happen at the moment. Would like to know more about this and United's current stand on him.
SL: Tyrone's covered it comprehensively in his story. I don't think any of us are expecting Van de Beek to go because United's midfield department is depleted by Pogba's injury and a couple of low-level loans (James Garner and Andreas Pereira). Now is not the ideal time to sign a midfielder but another club with a more bullish recruitment strategy would have acted, given the midfield malaise.
Van de Beek wants to leave and Rangnick suggested last month there was no point in trying to convince someone to stay if they want out. Martial is surplus because United have enough forwards as it is. Van de Beek has started the same number of games as Martial this season but the midfield is in a state.
Q: Why didn't we get a new manager when we sacked Ole? Paying compensation to their club would have been less than it will cost us if we don't qualify for any European football. Do they have a clear favourite manager to bring in?
SL: They had no plan, never mind a succession plan, before Liverpool gave Solskjaer a month's notice with that 5-0 drubbing. Richard Arnold and Ed Woodward spoke glowingly about the job Solskjaer was doing in March and September, and there was a three-year contract in between.
So United were caught short when they realised Solskjaer was an unsuitable manager (obvious to many two years earlier). PSG played hardball over Mauricio Pochettino - who United tried to hire - and once he was unattainable they continued with the interim route by selecting Rangnick.
Q: Any updates about Zakaria? Do we have some chances about some new signings ? How about Ten Hag?
SL: I think my colleague wrote about Zakaria yesterday. It's actually quite unedifying how United are being spuriously linked with a very specific profile of midfielder. I can also confirm United will not be signing Nico Gaitan this month.
Ten Hag: under consideration to become next permanent manager (as reported recurringly since November).
Q: How insistent has Ralf Rangnick been about bringing in a Midfielder in January? Do you see it being a possibility if we manage to loan out Martial, Van de Beek and/or sell Bailly?
SL: He's got enough on his plate trying to make the team resemble a football team again. Again, regarding the running of the club, if they had sacked Solskjaer earlier - in October or at the start of the November internationals - the new manager could have used some of the time during the international break to weigh up recruitment in January.
Rangnick came in at the start of December and the Covid outbreak in the first-team squad postponed two games. Since then, the focus has been on the games and that continues to be the case. So we find ourselves in an unusual position where United are in a transfer window and transfers cannot be prioritised even though they are seventh.
You cannot underestimate the impact of the bloated squad size, either. Solskjaer's summer indecision has played a hospital pass to Rangnick.
Q: If we were to fast forward five to ten years, what improvements would you expect, if any, to have been made to Old Trafford following stories of a master architect assigned to developing the stadium?
SL: Ideally: A better roof that is not porous and improves the stadium's acoustics. It's too angular at the moment.
Raising the south stand so it's on the same level as the other three stands. Capacity of 90,000.
All four stands modernised so it rivals Tottenham's stadium.
I will not hold my breath...
Q: Is there a recognition within the club, at the Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold level, that the squad is too bloated and that they should have sold players in the past or not offered certain contract renewals?
SL: There's a recognition players will have to be sold this summer, yes. On the latter point, there hasn't been an outright acceptance they have cocked it up as often as they have done with contract renewals.
SL: Any idea what Rangnick's consultancy role will be? How much involved will he be? Will he be at the same level as a DOF (Director of Football) or will he only provide recommendations. Are United and Rangnick themselves clear about what his role will be?
SL: Again, it's too early to cover that in detail when he is the manager. People at United say they are tapping into his consultancy expertise already.
Q: Despite a promising transfer window last summer, it seems United have reverted to type by their mishandling of various players who Solskjaer seems to have misled. I seem to remember City taking a financial hit to get rid of players they wanted out of the club. My question to you is there an acceptance in the club that they have to take similar measures to get unwanted players out?
SL: Yes, and they can't be choosy this time, either. They are going to lose millions on Pogba and Lingard, so they can't drive a hard bargain with other wantaways who the next manager might want rid of.
Woodward won't be there, either. He was burnt from the Louis van Gaal summers where there were fire sales and United obtained small fees for players they could have made more money on. But the circumstances have changed now.
Let's face it, they are not going to get £30million for Bailly or £58million for Martial or £40million for Van de Beek in the summer. If they are to cut their losses of any of them it will be at a loss.
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