Manchester United have rarely struggled to attract players. Even in the difficult post-Ferguson era.
At some point you wonder whether Manchester United’s lack of sustained success will hurt the club’s recruitment. Are we getting close?
Given the size of the club and the finances, signing players has been the easy part, even without Champions League football.
In the past United have attracted players. Yet often it has been for the wrong reasons. With recruitment mismanaged, the club’s transfer history has been poor.
Man Utd fears
Manchester United have endured a terrible start to the season, the club’s worst in Premier League history.
United have won only two of the opening seven matches, and sit in 14th place.
The team have failed to score in four of the last five league games. It has been a truly painful watch.
Now according to The Mail, two potential Manchester United transfer targets have expressed reservations about signing for the club in future windows.
The players have not been named. And nor is it known how serious United’s level of interest is.
In many ways this is just gossip. Perhaps substantiated, perhaps not. But the worrying aspect is that it is totally believable.
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Ineos need to get recruitment right
In the summer Manchester United were able to attract players and beat rival clubs to deals.
United beat Real Madrid to Leny Yoro, and also beat AC Milan to Joshua Zirkzee.
Both players even quit Champions League clubs to sign for United in the summer.
But had they known Manchester United would be ranked in 14th place in mid-October, would they have had pause for thought?
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 12 |  West HamWest Ham | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 8 |
| 13 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 8 |
| 14 |  Man UtdManchester United | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 5 |
United must hope this low league position is temporary. It cannot go on like this. Erik ten Hag won’t escape with his job for much longer if it persists.
It is totally understandable that potential transfer targets are not interested in signing for the club while it is in this state. Especially with uncertainty over Ten Hag.
A ‘sign for United’ call right now may well have players’ agents slamming the phone down.
It is up to the team on the pitch to deliver between now and January, to try and make this club a more attractive proposition, to bring in new recruits.
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