Before the season began, Manchester United fans were hopeful that their team would win its first Premier League title after Sir Alex Ferguson retired. This hope resonated hyperbolically due to Mourinho’s record.
The self-proclaimed Special One holds the record of always winning the league in his second season. He did at Porto. He did at Chelsea. He did at Inter. He did at Madrid. He did it at Chelsea again. And now he is in his second season with Manchester United.
However, this time, it is not happening. Manchester United are not winning the league despite the fact that it is mathematically possible as of now. The fact is, Manchester City are 15 points ahead of the Red Devils and will need to lose 5 of their next 16 games for the Old Trafford outfit to catch up.
Even if City do lose 5 games, there is no guarantee that United will win all of their next 16 fixtures, concluding that the league is out of United’s hands. So now, they should think about being the second-best in the league—and here are 3 signings that can help them do it.
Samuel Umtiti
I know, I know, why would Barcelona sell him? He is, without a doubt, their second best player and there is no way that the Catalans would let him go. Unless someone pays his release clause which is €60 million—just €60 million. I wonder how Liverpool didn’t approach him and chose to spend about 1.5 times more money on Virgil Van Dijk. Anyways, the fact is, Umtiti is indispensable for Barcelona given that he has established himself as a world-class player in defence.
But the other fact also stands true: Umtiti has a release clause and United should trigger it.
Timo Werner
Romelu Lukaku was signed for £75 million and he has done decently in the league thus far. However, his performances have left a lot to be desired. And given that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and that the injury has really slowed him down, United need a striker who could score when Lukaku can’t.
While Jesse Lingard is now on fire and is scoring from all angles, relying on a youngster would put too much pressure on him. And Timo Werner can relieve some of it. He is a 20-goal-per-season striker and can really help out the Red Devils.
Jorginho
While this might be a risky marriage given the free-passing tendency of Jorginho and Jose Mourinho’s style of play that is totally opposite of what Jorginho epitomizes, it is a risk worth taking. The Napoli midfielder is one the best deep-lying playmakers in the game that can fill the void left by Michael Carrick.
The Italo-Brazilian holds the record for the most successful passes in a European top-flight game—with 180 completed passes against Cagliari last year—and can keep the tempo of the game ticking effortlessly, which will allow United more control during a game.
Comment:is to retire