Sign a striker, bolster defence and sell deadwood – what Manchester United need to do in January transfer window
The January transfer window is looming large.
And after a disappointing start to the season, and with a change of the ownership structure afoot, Manchester United could be tempted to do some wheeling and dealing.
But what should their priorities be?
Bolster the forward line
It is pretty evident that United need to improve their misfiring attack.
The £72million Rasmus Hojlund has served up five Champions League goals, but is still to get off the mark in the Premier League while Marcus Rashford has endured a dramatic downturn in form from last season.
In fact, not a single United striker has scored a league goal at Old Trafford this season – a damning statistic that underlines why Erik ten Hag’s team find it so hard to win games.
READ MORE ON MAN UNITED
In the past United have utilised the loan market in January to varying degrees of success (for every Henrik Larsson there is a Wout Weghorst).
But if they are to stand any realistic chances of finishing in the top four they may have to open the chequebook.
The obvious name on the lips of a lot of United fans is Napoli goal-machine Victor Osimhen, but it is highly unlikely the Italian champions will sell their star frontman mid-season.
Likewise, Brentford have placed a minimum price tag of £80m on Ivan Toney to ensure they keep him at least until the summer, while Evan Ferguson, a player admired by the United hierarchy, has only just signed a new deal at Brighton.
Most read in Football
United are among a cluster of Premier League clubs tracking Copenhagen wonderkid Roony Bardghji, but it is a risk asking a 17-year-old rookie to come in and ease the goalscoring burden.
Strengthen in defence
There is no hiding the fact United have been badly hit by injuries, particularly in defence and Ten Hag has rarely been able to name the same back four for successive matches.
In the case of Raphael Varane that should not be a surprise as the French World Cup winner has been dogged by fitness issues throughout his career, although the suspicion is that his recent omission from the team is more down to an issue with his manager.
Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo has been on the Ten Hag radar for some time, but it would upset Nice fans if incoming minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe was to raid his French club so soon.
The Red Devils could do worse than look at Bournemouth centre-back Lloyd Kelly, who is out of contract in the summer and wanted by a host of top clubs in Europe as well as the Premier League.
Kelly can also provide crucial cover at left-back, where the absence of Luke Shaw has hit United, and Rashford, particularly hard.
Legs in midfield
The make-up of Ten Hag’s midfield has been all wrong since the very first game of the season against Wolves.
Mason Mount is increasingly looking like a £60m luxury signing United did not need.
Meanwhile, Sofyan Amrabat, another summer addition, needs a runner alongside him to be seen to the best of his ability.
One name high on United’s wish-list is Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and the Parisian is exactly the type of box-to-box midfielder they need without having to break the bank.
In terms of proven Premier League players, Douglas Luiz would also enhance United’s midfield armoury if Aston Villa could be persuaded to sell.
Get rid of the deadwood
After such an underwhelming start to the season it might be quicker to draw up a list of players United should keep rather than look to move on.
Jadon Sancho has clearly kicked his last ball for the club, with his very public spat with manager Ten Hag providing an unhelpful side-show.
United will not get back anywhere near the £80m they paid to sign Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and he is also amongst the highest-paid stars at Old Trafford so a bit of flexibility will be needed on both sides.
Sancho has interest from Saudi Arabia and Juventus while Dortmund have also been closely monitoring his situation.
United would want at least an option to sign him permanently if not an obligation before sanctioning a loan deal.
They would also want the bulk of his wages covered.
Another player the Red Devils need to cut their losses on is striker Anthony Martial, whose contract expires at the end of the season and is also in the sights of Saudi Pro League sides.
Read More on talkSPORT
As talkSPORT revealed earlier this week, United will also consider any offers they receive for a seemingly declining Casemiro.
Getting those three big earners off the payroll would help provide funds to rebuild the squad.