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Manchester United are in an odd situation right now. Being committed to Jose Mourinho as their manager is a logical thing, but the club still does not seem to be doing too well in the transfer market since he has been the manager. There were some really good acquisitions in Mourinho’s reign, as Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Eric Bailly, but in overall this team looks far from done.
And that is a problem when the manager has been at the club for two full seasons. Of course that not everything the club has done in the market was up to Jose Mourinho’s wishes and that often two sides do not see things eye to eye. However, with a team that was far from ideal in 2016, Manchester United still look far from a team that could win the Premier League in 2018-19 season.
That is why this summer transfer window is defining for the manager and his reign at Old Trafford. Mourinho did bring an FA Cup and Europa League in his first season, but after the second campaign not only did the trophy tally stay the same, but the team still looked dysfunctional. The problems with the centre of defence remained, while the imbalance of the left and right hand side of the pitch grew even more with Ashley Young being the start left back and Alexis Sanchez becoming another option on the left flank when the other one has been the problem for at least a year.
This transfer window could make Mourinho’s reign at United a complete miss or a huge improvement in the right directions. With three weeks to go until the league starts, there is still enough time to make good moves and needed signings to this team. However, right now that does not like something that is about to happen. Mourinho’s grumpy press conference in the United States offered an insight into how bad things can become. After all, it all looked very grim for United fans just one press conference into the new season.
If United fail to add necessary signings, Mourinho will still have an imbalanced squad that could potentially even have troubles of reaching the Champions League. And this is not just a negative thinking and wanting Mourinho to fail – it is a fair assessment in a transfer window when all the other teams are improving their sides. Liverpool and Chelsea seem to be wanting to go big, Arsenal is at a new beginning, Manchester City are already very powerful. That is already four teams in the conversation. United will not really be able to get through all of that just by their sheer will.
To be completely objective, this Manchester United team is not that bad and horrible. Paul Pogba is the world champion that could become a true leader of this side and Romelu Lukaku seems to be maturing both on and off the pitch. With players like Sanchez, David De Gea and Bailly, that is a good core of a side. But the core is not enough on its own.
Jose Mourinho will have to make an impact on the board and get the players he truly wants here. If he is to succeed at Manchester United he must start moving fast. He cannot lose another season in building a side for his requirements. This is, after all, the fifth transfer window since he arrived.
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