Manchester United completed arguably the coup of the summer recently when they agreed a deal to sign Leny Yoro from LOSC Lille.
The Frenchman looked like he had his heart set on Real Madrid but the club managed to convince him of their project in remarkable circumstances, sealing the deal.
He is expected to be confirmed before the squad travels for the pre-season tour of the USA, where he is expected to feature.
With this signing, United have strengthened the back and the front of the team with Joshua Zirkzee the other signing.
However, every fan will know that the business can’t stop here. Players are being sold ruthlessly which means the club will undoubtedly sign more players.
There is one player they need to sign more than anyone now that Leny Yoro’s transfer is done…
Next up after Leny Yoro
Yoro becomes the first center-back to join the club this summer but United have lost multiple. Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala have left while Victor LIndelof’s future is uncertain.
United have been linked to Matthijs de Ligt but after Yoro, center-back is not the position that needs strengthening on priority.
Instead, if United are looking to transform the team by setting in place a new spine, the player they need to go after all guns blazing now is for the No. 6 position.
Needless to say, they have already been concretely linked with a player who specialises in this position, and he is the one who set the Copa America alight.
Manuel Ugarte of Paris Saint-Germain has to be next on the agenda and on priority at that, since signing him means the spine of new United is set in place.
Why Manuel Ugarte should be next man up
Anyone who watched United last season could figure out that the huge gap between the midfield and defence was the major reason why they never looked comfortable in games.
A part of the reason why it happened was because United’s center-backs often dropped deeper, leaving Casemiro, or whoever played as the No.6, an island to cover on their own.
Defenders used to playing in a high line should fix a part of that problem, addressed by signing Yoro and pairing him with Lisandro Martinez.
However, Casemiro’s decline was also plain to see, and going in with him as the first-choice defensive midfielder, regardless of signings behind him, would be harakiri.
Ugarte is a “fixer” in midfield, which means he’s the type to win the ball back, keep it simple, and circulate possession. In a side that was far too happy to play ping-pong with the ball last season, he is a necessary addition.
Yoro’s signing will be for nothing if Casemiro is huffing and puffing his way into games as the opponents have realised he can be targeted with pacy players and quick interchanges.
Sign Ugarte, and that problem goes away, transforming the team in just three signings- all well thought-out, and of correct age profiles.
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