Manchester United’s season hasn’t gone to plan at all and with a new manager in the dugout, the January transfer window suddenly takes a new turn.
Generally, clubs aren’t extremely active in January as both, the buyers’ and sellers’ market is in a pattern of standstill due to the season being in progress.
However, that doesn’t mean Man Utd shouldn’t strike if an opportunity arises, especially when Ruben Amorim is already having to plug square pegs in round holes.
Marcus Rashford’s situation adds another wrinkle to the window and for United, it could be a time when they optimise the edges of the squad with minimal fuss in moves right out of Sir Dave Brailsford’s “marginal gains” philosophy.
Here’s what an ideal January window at Old Trafford could look like-
Half-a-million in wages freed
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team continue to plead poverty at United due to the distressed situation they inherited and a big reason behind that is the previous regime’s failure to sell well.
That failure stemmed from a lack of sensibility in giving contract extensions, putting average players on exorbitant wages that won’t be matched anywhere else.
If they are as ruthless with the players as they’ve been with the staff off the pitch, January offers them the ideal time to send a reminder.
Marcus Rashford earns north of £300k/week and he’s made it clear that he desires a new challenge. Ineos can bite the bullet and send him on his way even if it means paying him some difference in wages.
Then there’s Christian Eriksen, who will leave for free in six months and earns about £150k/week. If they can find a seller for him for a nominal price, they will save themselves paying that wage for six months along with a transfer fee for a player they brought on a free transfer.
Besides them, there’s Victor Lindelof in a similar situation as Eriksen whose departure can open up a squad role for someone like Godwill Kukonki.
A ruthless United can easily get at least half a million/week in wages off the books in January alone.
Left wing-back sorely needed
Ruben Amorim’s team selection in every game has a clear weak point at left wing-back and understandably so because United don’t have any!
The transition from full-back to wing-back is not straightforward and the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Diogo Dalot, and Noussair Mazraoui have found that out first-hand.
A left wing-back is needed on priority and groundwork can be laid for a summer move in that position, if not addressed outright in January.
United have been linked with many players, from Milos Kerkez to Theo Hernandez and Alphonso Davies, who are unlikely to move in January.
There’s Alvaro Fernandez’s buy-back clause with SL Benfica but the player himself might not prefer to upend his whole successful season to move mid-season.
This looks like a position that will be filled only in the summer but any leg up that can be gained by putting in some work in January should be done as priority numero uno.
A striking gamble
United have started scoring more goals under Amorim than they were under Erik ten Hag but that’s a tragic bar to clear more than anything else.
With Rashford also out of the picture (for now), United’s goalscoring woes have been further compounded, with Rasmus Hojlund the only one who looks like an eventual 20-goal/season striker in the league.
It is just as well then, that Randal Kolo Muani’s PSG exit is inevitable. Kolo Muani had previously been of interest to United but the Parisiens blew the competition out of the water at the time.
Like Manuel Ugarte, Luis Enrique doesn’t seem to fancy but that shouldn’t be a judgment on his quality. At just 26, he would be an extremely astute gamble for the rest of the season as a proven, international quality striker who can do so much more than just score goals.
If a buy option can be negotiated, it would be an unqualified victory for United but even if it’s not, Kolo Muani’s addition to the team for six months could be just the sort of shot in the arm a flailing United needs.
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