Following their Europa League final disappointment, Manchester United are expected to recalibrate their transfer plans for the summer.
Initially, a host of top names were being linked with a move to Old Trafford, but most of those deals relied on the club’s ability to qualify for the Champions League.
Now that there will be no European football for next season, the Red Devils are planning to focus on signing players with Premier League pedigree, as per Manchester World.
Which explains the club’s interest in Matheus Cunha of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liam Delap of Ipswich Town. Backup striker option Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace also fits the bill.
United want players with Premier League experience
This plan is much-needed, given the team’s struggles in the league with Ruben Amorim’s side coming up short whenever they faced English opposition, like at the San Mames.
They have mainly struggled to deal with the added physicality, something Amorim is desperate to fix heading into his first full season in charge.
“There is one are they are aligned on though, Premier League experience. There is a desire to target homegrown young talent, with a preference for those who already played in the English top-flight and will have fewer issues adapting.
“United are also looking to become more savvy with their spending and are hope to save money by targeting players who are already in the final year of their contract, or who are soon to become free agents.
Plan in place
“The other factor is release clauses. United have been dragged into prolonged and protracted transfer talks in the past and like the idea of paying a set figure for a player to avoid an unnecessary delays in getting a deal completed. It is easy to see why deals for Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap appeal so much to the club.
“Another key reason United need Premier League experience this summer is the simple matter that the competition will be their sole focus next season.
“They have played well against European opposition under Amorim, but their downfall has been abysmal domestic form, which in many ways made Tottenham the worst possible opponents to face in the Europa League final.”
Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo and more recently, Jack Grealish have all been linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams but it will be interesting to see if INEOS can cough up the funds required.
Amorim needs all the help he can get at this stage with anything less than a strong start to the new campaign likely to lead to even more pressure on his job.
Feature image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
