Manchester United have been more ruthless than usual in this transfer window, clearing out the players on the fringes of the team.
Hannibal Mejbri’s transfer looks the latest to happen after Facundo Pellistri’s transfer to Panathinaikos gained pace.
This follows the likes of Donny van de Beek leaving after years of struggling to make a mark but somehow never leaving.
- READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25
There are others who have left too, but these three players have something similar, in the sense that their careers at Old Trafford ended due to a single Manchester United transfer completed in 2020. And, they are not alone in this group.
A monumental move
How many wingers broke through at Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo occupied the No 7 shirt and the left wing?
How many defenders broke through at Barcelona when Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique manned the middle at Camp Nou?
The idea here is that once a generational talent/pair establishes themselves at a particular position, any further moves for that position are failures.
Any young players working to break through in that position have a wall in front of them, and any player who was already at the club can start counting his time down.
Just ask this list of players- Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira, Shola Shoretire, Donny van de Beek, and Hannibal.
The common trait they share is they are all No 10s, the attacking midfielder who plays in the hole and despite having different playing styles, all fell victim to a single generational talent who arrived at Old Trafford in January 2020.
He’s the captain of the club and after a recent contract extension, is set to have a stranglehold on the No 10 position – Bruno Fernandes.
It is interesting to see where each of these players stood before Fernandes came in like a hurricane and took the team to positive results by the scruff of its neck.
Paul Pogba was still a mercurial talent United hoped to ‘unlock’ in various midfield combinations. Jesse Lingard was a selfless and hard-working academy product who was a big-game player with his goals in finals.
Andreas Pereira, unbelievably, was the incumbent No 10 who Fernandes took over from in a lumbering United side screaming for creativity. Van de Beek arrived late but could never get into the team because the No 10 position was never open.
Shoretire and Hannibal both preceded Fernandes’ arrival at United and looked primed to break through into the senior team but once the Portuguese entered the frame, that door was firmly closed shut, never to open again.
In fact, the same phenomenon is at play right now as Mason Mount struggles to find his ideal position at United when everyone is fit, despite arriving for nearly £60 million just a year ago.
It’s an opportunity, not a hindrance
It should be the case with every team that the quality you require to play for the side should always be increasing.
The fate of these six players once Fernandes came in shows not only the quality of the Portuguese, but also that United kept settling for less for a long time.
Willy Kambwala, for example, was a serviceable prospect last season but Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt’s arrival meant he was not going to break through at Old Trafford.
On the other hand, no midfielder in the world could have stopped Kobbie Mainoo from taking his place in the middle for United.
When the collective barrier to entry is raised, the ceiling rises with it, which is what Fernandes has done at United since his arrival.
He’s the benchmark now, and after his contract extension, potential new signings and youth players know who they have to be better than to make the first-team.
United will benefit from it.
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