Man Utd’s next big problem - persuading anyone to join them

Analysis

Paul Macdonald | Brand Owner

Big clubs can dine out on their reputation for quite a while even if the results on the pitch say otherwise. But Manchester United’s ability to do that could be set to expire.

United don’t have their problems to seek at the moment, coming off a hugely damaging run of eight games without a win, the 4-1 demolition at the hands of Como - progressive, analytical and structured in all the ways that United aren’t - represents a real watermark for the watching players and agents.

Money often talks. United have already had to secure talent on expensive, lengthy contracts in order to sign. To give Youri Tielemans, a 29-year-old who made his debut at 16 and has already played nearly 700 professional games for club and country, a five-year contract speaks to the desperation in their transfer dealings.

In the modern football world, no-one United would consider to be their peers are offering 29-year-old’s with that many miles on the clock a deal remotely close to that length. The deal itself is already looking ropey and the Belgian will be virtually impossible to shift from his estimated £250k a week salary at any point in this contract - no-one in their right mind would offer similar terms and, furthermore, the player himself has no obligation to go anywhere.

But it’s what they had to offer in order to persuade Tielemans to go there, and the amount of failed careers that go to Old Trafford to die is amassing far quicker than the list of successes.

Let’s take the case of Benjamin Sesko, a coveted centre-forward with many of the attributes modern coaches would like to have in their team. Yes, he has suffered injury problems, but to say his career has stalled would be generous - in effect it’s gone rapidly backwards. To join a team with no real tactical plan, with no real vision for how to fit the pieces together is tantamount to career suicide - one that he is being paid well for, granted.

And what of Joshua Zirkzee, or Leny Yoro, or Manuel Ugarte, or Rasmus Hojlund, or Mason Mount, or Antony, or Andre Onana? There are differing circumstances for all of those signings whose total outlay tops €350m, but how many of those would sign for United again if given the opportunity?

There will always be some players who will join United irrespective of their status, but only for a right price for them, and their agent. But these are not the type of players which will extricate United from this disastrous spiral. They need quality, they need upgrades, and those types have options. In a like-for-like situation other clubs can offer money but can also offer the chance of success; United are so far from that position that it wouldn’t even be on the table.

And that’s before we get to the financial ramifications of what is happening now. Financial expert Jamie Bajwa’s assessment of United’s cash flow makes it clear that the broadly prudent summer just gone - despite the demands of the fans - was a necessity and only consistent Champions League qualification would provide the stable footing to spend more.

At this point United would be content to simply win league matches consistently, let alone have aspirations beyond that. And that’s before they face Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool in the coming weeks.

Coupled with the insecurity of Michael Carrick, plus Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes’ outspoken comments towards everyone above them, and the entire club is simply not in a position where the dream can be sold to potential suitors either in January, nor potentially next summer.

And it’s not even players - who would want to coach this team at the moment? The hierarchy flips from ‘knows the club’ - Ole, Carrick - towards ‘European elite coaches’ like Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim. These four men could not be different in their philosophies and their formations, and that is showcased in the lop-sided nature of the team; overflowing with central midfielders while Harry Maguire remains the only stalwart in an injury-ridden defensive line. Without even knowing what you need yourself, how can you then convince anyone else?

It’s often easy for pundits to heckle from the sidelines, but the fact that so many observing the situation have broadly no idea how they get out of this mess speaks volumes as to how grave it really is. From a leadership, financial, tactical, analytical, and acquisition perspective the team is broken. Other than that, it’s going just fine.

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