What went right?
The summer started serenely with the arrivals of Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Matteo Darmian, and Memphis Depay. With these signings Louis van Gaal bolstered central midfield, right-back, and attack. The mood as United flew out for their tour of America in early July was buoyant. The midfield had long been an issue. The acquisition of Schweinsteiger, the Germany captain, brought in top-class quality and added a leader to the manager’s ranks. Schweinsteiger, 31, was joined by Schneiderlin, 25, who can operate in a deep role or from box-to-box so Van Gaal had flexibility and options.
Last term the manager deployed Antonio Valencia as an auxiliary right-back as he retained scant trust in Rafael da Silva. The addition of Darmian, Italy’s first choice at Brazil 2014, appeared an impressive addition. In the pacey 21-year-old Depay, PSV Eindhoven’s top scorer in their Eredivisie title triumph, Van Gal injected youth and dynamism into a stale frontline.
What went wrong?
The window’s second phase was about the David de Gea debacle and Van Gaal deciding he required only one proven goalscorer, Wayne Rooney. De Gea’s move to Real Madrid finally looked to be happening on Monday evening. But as everyone now knows the requisite paperwork failed to arrive ahead of the Spanish deadline and De Gea remains at United. The affair ended messily, the strategy appeared scattergun. The club changed tack at least three times regarding the stand-off with Real. For a time, United’s stance was that only Sergio Ramos’s arrival at Old Trafford would allow De Gea to go the other way.
Next this changed to only the “extraordinary circumstance” of a world record fee for a goalkeeper would mean De Gea could be sold to Real without Ramos as part of the deal. This meant a price north of Gianluigi Buffon’s £32.6m. Then, when Real finally bid for De Gea on Monday lunchtime – the timing was viewed as “bizarre” among the directors of United – the club decided to accept a fee of £29.3m. Although it was below that world record mark the climbdown was recognition that De Gea can leave for nothing next summer when his contract expires.
Except, the transfer fell through. Van Gaal is hardly the silkiest of man managers. But he does want De Gea back in the team. So he will hope to reintegrate a seriously unhappy player. And, De Gea can now leave next summer for the princely sum of zero. From any perspective this is all unsatisfactory.
The other fault-line in transfer policy appears to be the small number of strikers Van Gaal closes the window with. When the manager woke on Monday his options were threadbare. His proven finishers started and ended with Rooney, who is without a Premier League goal since April. The rest were fringe players, at best. Last season, Javier Hernández was farmed out on loan to Real Madrid. James Wilson was preferred to Danny Welbeck, who left for Arsenal 12 months ago, but failed to make an impact. That was it.
Except, Van Gaal did have more options, he told us. After the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 22 August, the 64-year-old said: “I can choose better because I know my players, and that’s why I have chosen Chicharito [Hernández], because he is another type from Rooney, and we have also Fellaini, who is another type. So I have different types, then I have Wilson and Januzaj, so I don’t think we need a striker.”
Despite these words Van Gaal has since allowed Hernández to be sold and Januzaj to be loaned out. Wilson could also leave on a temporary basis for a Championship club. For £36m Monaco’s Anthony Martial has been bought. He has 11 career league goals to his name and has so far operated mainly from a wide berth.
What has been Ed Woodward’s role?
The criticism of the executive vice-chairman has come close to mirroring that of his first summer in charge. That was two years ago when David Moyes was manager and United ended the window with Fellaini as the solitary major signing. He arrived for £27.5m, £4m more than a buyout clause Moyes had negotiated when in charge of Everton. Moyes took the lead then as he should. Woodward has no interest in meddling in football affairs. So, again, this summer has been driven by Van Gaal, with Woodward content to follow his direction. The £36m paid for the relatively unknown Martial has caused eyebrows to be raised. Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar top the Van Gaal wish list. But prising them from their respective clubs has been impossible. So Woodward backed Van Gaal when he chose to acquire Martial now rather than face potentially losing him next year to Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, who were all interested. Martial is recognised as a gamble but the thinking of the Dutchman is he could become world class. Again, Woodward has supported the manager.
Will Louis van Gaal be happy?
The simple answer is he should be and has to be. Why? Because the Dutchman demanded and was given sole agency over transfer strategy. He drove the De Gea gameplan. He drove the sales of Robin van Persie, Da Silva, Nani, Jonny Evans, Hernández, Saidy Janko, Reece James, and Ángel Di María. He drove the releases of Tom Cleverley, Anders Lindegaard, Ben Amos, and Tom Thorpe. He drove the loans of Adnan Januzaj, Tyler Blackett and Will Keane. He drove the exclusion of Víctor Valdés from the first-team squad. He drove the acquisition of Schweinsteiger, Darmian, Schneiderlin, Depay, Martial and Sergio Romero. He drove the failed pursuits of Gareth Bale and Neymar, and the monitoring of Karim Benzema, Mats Hummels and various others.
Van Gaal did not land all the players he wished but the market can never be yielded totally to any manager’s wish. So the Dutchman cannot complain at having his vision for the summer executed by Woodward and the club.
How will all of this affect the season?
The De Gea situation, the doubts over his goalscoring options, and the decision not to bring in a central defender and play Daley Blind in the position, are all Van Gaal’s choices and responsibility. However, the consequence is he has a few serious questions that require answers almost instantly.
Can he resolve De Gea’s bruised feelings? Can he make Rooney a consistent finisher again in the Premier League? Can he yield convincing displays from Martial? Can he maintain the tight defence? Ultimately: can Manchester United challenge for the title, make serious progression in the Champions League, and win a cup? The answers will make fascinating viewing.
