United have to avoid this transfer window mistake to deliver long-term success – opinion

How do we keep finding ourselves in this position, no matter what changes at our club? I’m talking, of course, about the summer transfer window. Every time summer is even close to rolling around, the importance of it is never understated. And yet, it’s always true. This summer, just as in many summers before, is such an important one to get right. But we’ve heard that before, too many times. The problem is that every year we keep hearing it. It’s not the way an adequately run football club should operate – constantly on the back foot and reacting to desperate needs. It’s hardly operating from a position of power, now is it? And that leads to either extortionate fees (whether in wages or transfer fees) or unrealistic expectations on whoever it is that’s coming in. This time around, the importance is to do with the Champions League. Manchester United simply must be in it. But we don’t want to get spanked every matchday, so we obviously need to invest. Invest in better players or better profiles – God knows, just whatever gets us to stop experiencing the same turgidness we saw in the first half against Leeds United on Monday night. Now there are six games left in the season, we’re seven points away from being at risk of dropping out of the top five spots, and we have Chelsea to play next. If they win, that gap closes to four points, and suddenly it’s squeaky bum time. But back to the summer transfer window United invested quite well last year; the trouble is, the winds are changing at the club and we’re in a position where several positions need reinvigorating or adequate back-up. Goalkeeping is probably sorted, but we are playing with fire should Senne Lammens ever get injured. Luke Shaw is hardly the marauding left-back we need him to be anymore, and even if Patrick Dorgu is made to play there, back-up is needed. Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot seem decent options at right-back until matchday comes around, and then you remember we might be the only club in Europe without a right-back who can attack. We’re arguably well stocked in the centre-back positions, but two of them are injury-prone (Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt), two are probably too young for key roles (Lenny Yoro and Ayden Heaven), and Harry Maguire has only added a year to his deal. I can probably gloss over our midfield, as everyone knows the horror show that it is, especially with Casemiro leaving. We need to somehow replace his goals, defensive qualities, and leadership, all while finding the right profiles to play with Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes without shipping in goals every week. Matheus Cunha isn’t a natural width-holding left-winger, so either we tweak his role or we’ll need someone else (or a back-up to Dorgu, who was playing excellently there before his injury). Bruno needs a deputy, and Benjamin Sesko too, if Joshua Zirkzee does indeed leave. Right-wing is probably our only well-stocked position with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad, though neither will be satisfied with a bench role for too long. Whether Michael Carrick stays or not, the whole point of a Director of Football is to get the dynamics and profiles of the squad right without feeling like every transfer window is the biggest one yet. Changing formations and, consequently, the squad’s needs has not been a good look in that respect. I’m sparing a prayer for Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada God knows I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy – not even on Football Manager. Just imagine if we somehow miss out on Champions League football; scary to even think about. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social