Let’s start at the beginning, number one. It would seem that David De Gea is among the top three or four goalkeepers in the world and, as second choice, Mourinho has the Argentina number one in Sergio Romero, so that position seems pretty safe at present.
Action required: None
Next is the right full/wing back position. It is hard to say who is the current number one for this role. Van Gaal brought in Matteo Darmian who was the first choice for Italy. He suffered a loss of form after a bright start and was replaced by Guillermo Varela, then Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and, eventually, Antonio Valencia. Varela’s defending was a little naive at times, BJ is still very young but looks a great prospect and Valencia cannot defend as he frequently proved last season, getting caught out of position on many occasions and failing to play the offside with the rest of the defence.
Action required: Unless Mourinho is prepared to persist with Darmian then a new player is required.
At left full/wing back Luke Shaw, barring injury, should be able to settle into the role next season and, providing there is reasonable cover this is a position in which United should be fine. By “reasonable cover” I don’t inlude Ashley Young, who is another one who needs to go sooner rather than later.
Action required: Maybe scout a young player for back-up purposes.
Centre backs are still a problem which I hope is on the way to being solved. Phil Jones is injury prone and now is probably the time for him to move on. Marcos Rojo has never really fitted in quality-wise or attitude-wise at Old Trafford. Chris Smalling, whatever anybody says, is not Manchester United standard. Too careless and forever holding on to opponents in the penalty area, he is a liability and should also be moved on. This leaves Eric Bailly and a very unlikely partner in Daley Blind, who is not really a centre back and who also may be sold quite soon.
Action required: New centre back urgently needed. Raphael Varane of Real Madrid would fit the bill.
In midfield moves are already afoot. Having added Henrikh Mhkitaryan and possibly acquiring Paul Pogba or Blaise Matuidi, further strengthening should not be necessary. Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Fellaini could all be sold and not be missed by the fans, whereas Juan Mata probably will be sold and will be missed by the fans. Nobody really knows which position is best for Memphis Depay as he has failed in a couple during his brief time at United and he is another probably on borrowed time unless he shows a rapid improvement.
Action required: None, unless a really good player becomes available.
Up front we have to hope that Ed Woodward’s signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t just to boost the income for United and that he scores a few goals. Along with Anthony Martial there should be quite a few going in next season. Also, I can only assume that United’s failure to sign another striker means that they have confidence in Marcus Rashford further down the line. Certainly he should be a better player by the end of the Ibrahimovic contract.
Action required: None
This means that the only player not to have a position in the team is Wayne Rooney. That isn’t really a problem as he can sit on the bench. He hasn’t been good enough for the last three or four years and, ideally, is another one who should be moved on. It would seem that the managers, for some strange reason, like him, so I don’t expect him to leave in the very near future.
The one signing United have made which will definitely improve them is Jose Mourinho, so let’s hope that Ed Woodward doesn’t screw up his transfer plans
Source: Why say anything