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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

What Manchester United want squad to look like after transfer window closes

After a superb start to the new season Manchester United were handed something of a reality check in their laboured draw with Southampton on Sunday.

Thumping fierce rivals Leeds on the opening weekend of the campaign gave fresh reason to dream of a title charge come next spring, though their weekend stalemate on the south coast reinforced just how tricky a challenge it will be.

United should improve when summer signings Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane are fully integrated into the starting line up but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows there is still extra work to be done if they are to fulfil such huge potential.

With little more than a week remaining of the summer transfer window, United are still in the market for further additions while a number of players could leave the club.

MEN Sport takes a look at how United would like their squad to look like by the end of transfer deadline day.

In goal

The summer addition of Tom Heaton has added experience to United's goalkeeping department and provided Solskjaer with a viable back-up option should either David de Gea or Dean Henderson leave.

Henderson, 24, is confident he will claim the No.1 spot once he is back to full fitness though the early season form of De Gea has once again been impressive.

In the worst case scenario having all three on the books isn't a disaster, but Solskjaer has himself admitted it is a situation which needs a permanent solution.

Ideally either De Gea or Henderson would still leave by deadline day, though it looks unlikely.

Defence

The main ambition for this summer was to add at least one new centre-back to the first-team squad and United have done that with the capture of Varane.

He should bring a huge lift in quality once he is fully up to speed with life in Manchester, perhaps the only question is who he should partner after Harry Maguire's poor performance versus Southampton, though Lindelof has often struggled too.

Varane and Maguire is a centre-back partnership which could end up costing United over £120m in transfer fees alone, it is therefore crucial Solskjaer gets them working as soon as possible.

Now that they have two central defenders of world-class ability there will be little sympathy if sloppy goals continue to leak.

Midfield

While much of the focus has been on the two star summer arrivals at Old Trafford, any successful title bid will likely rely on the talents of midfield duo Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

The world-class pair have both already shone brightly in the opening stages of the new season but Solskjaer is yet to make his mind up in regards to the selection behind them.

Fred and Scott McTominay started against Leeds, while Nemanja Matic came in for the Scot at the weekend. All three have squad roles to play, but there is still a need for defensive-minded specialist.

Any new arrival will rely on selling fringe players first with Declan Rice the dream target, although a raw talent like Eduardo Camavinga would be more attainable.

Attack

United were always keen to complete a move for Sancho this summer though there is some debate as to where he fits into the team on a regular basis.

His versatility makes a start on the left or right equally as frightening, but comes at the expense of Pogba or Greenwood in their inverted wide roles.

Solskjaer appears to be favouring a fluid attacking line in the absence of Edinson Cavani but should return to a more structured forward three once the Uruguayan is up to speed.

Sancho certainly strengthens the player pool available for the season ahead though many fans would still argue that a natural replacement for Cavani is needed rather than relying on the inconsistent output of Antony Martial.

Incomings

Ahead of the summer United were hoping to make three significant signings, at this moment in time they have two.

It would by no means be a disaster if another arrival wasn't secured by the deadline, but many United fans feel they are still another top-class addition away from actually winning the Premier League title.

The most likely arrival would be a new central midfielder, though it would be underpinned by player sales first, while there is also an interest in adding an attacking right-back and a new centre forward.

United signed five players across two deadline days last year so it is likely they will be active in the market right until the end — though that doesn't mean they will necessarily sign anyone. A right-back in Kieran Trippier could still be the most likely.

Outgoings

As mentioned above, United still have a great need to trim the fat on their squad by next week, regardless of whether or not any new faces come in.

De Gea is the club's highest earner but may not be viewed as a regular starter, Eric Bailly and Lindelof are both occupying rotational roles, the midfield is overstocked and in attack there are a number of fringe options who don't offer enough.

Not all the players need to depart on permanent deals, but there is still a clear need for United to thin their playing squad and balance the books by removing unnecessary wage demands.

If they manage to shift enough players they might even free up the funds to make one final significant signing and further bolster their title credentials. De Gea is the highest profile potential departure, but Solskjaer will probably prefer to keep his two top class keepers.

Eric Bailly is back at Carrington. (2021 Manchester United FC)

United's possible dream squad after deadline day: Henderson, De Gea, Heaton, Grant; Wan-Bissaka, Trippier, Maguire, Varane, Lindelof, Bailly, Shaw, Telles; Matic, Camavinga, Fred, McTominay, Van de Beek, Pogba, Fernandes, Mata; Sancho, Greenwood, Martial, Rashford, James, Cavani.

Players who could leave: Jones, Lingard, Dalot (loan), Williams (loan), Amad (loan).

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