Guardian writers’ predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie Jackson’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 3rd
Prospects
The information at the start of the close season was that Manchester United planned to trade for bargains rather than elite names and the major purchases so far this summer prove this to indeed be the case. Youri Tielemans is a 29-year-old who has been a professional for nearly half of his life and was bought, with no competition, for his £35m release clause from Aston Villa. The midfielder was followed by the £48m (+£2m) purchase of Andrey Santos, a 22-year-old with 11 league starts last season for Chelsea. The Brazilian states a preference for operating “deep, like a No 6” making him the direct replacement for his compatriot Casemiro, whose CV includes five Champions Leagues. United are also set to sign another midfielder in Carlos Baleba from Brighton for around £75m.
Michael Carrick, going in to his first full season in charge, admits his squad needs more additions and a new left-back is on the radar. Lewis Hall is the prime target but Newcastle’s resistance to a sale means Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly had drawn interest. At the window’s commencement, Carrick wanted Elliot Anderson but this was unrealistic – he went to City for around £32m more than Tielemans’ and Santos’s combined fee. Confirmed as manager in May after guiding United to third, Carrick may rue Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s reluctance to invest the finances he generated by taking the club back into the Champions League and the 45-year-old may find himself engulfed in precisely what has plagued all of his predecessors in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era: a crisis of performances and results.
Carrick also has to wrestle with the Marcus Rashford situation: the forward wants to leave, the club desires him off the wage bill, but can a suitor be found before 1 September? Oh and, Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs De Ligt, two frontline centre-backs, have only recently returned from injury.
Off-field picture
In early July United unveiled plans for their proposed new 100,000-seater stadium, located about 350 metres north-west of Old Trafford, insisting this is a “sanity, not vanity project”. Behind the catchy line, however, is a club in the red to the sum of £1.3bn. Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, declared in March that £2bn was the working cost of the stadium, which is projected to be completed in 2035. This seems optimistic – try doubling it, maybe.
Owner-fan relationship
Untrusting, unhappy, annoyed, betrayed, toxic, broken, unmendable, etcetera: choose your pejorative when it comes to describing how most Manchester United fans feel about the Glazers. This has been the case regarding the six siblings, who are United’s majority owners, since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in May 2013. Relations between fans and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s football department could also be rosier. Some are content due to last season’s third-place finish and the success of last summer’s buys – Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo primarily. Others, though, are cheesed off about the current window’s business, the moving of season-ticket holders around the ground to free up seats for corporate packages, and the recent bid to eliminate touts that caused many genuine supporters to have to prove their innocence.
The manager
Like Ole Gunnar Solskjær before him, Carrick performed superbly in a caretaker capacity. The task now facing him is out-performing his former United team-mate and friend in the role of permanent manager, the Norwegian’s first full season in charge having ended in third place. Carrick’s prospects will be improved if by 1 September a left-back has been recruited. Given Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have splashed far more cash than United on strengthening this summer, Carrick would no doubt take third – or any Champions League berth – if it was offered to him, albeit he is unlikely to admit as much.
Star signing
After being a major part of Aston Villa’s Europa League glory in May, and then captaining Belgium to the World Cup quarter-finals during the summer, Tielemans has been recruited to add drive, quality and a streetwisen touch to United’s midfield. His career shows a record of making the difference when required – he struck a memorable volley against Freiburg in Istanbul and powered in a long-range winner to claim the FA Cup for Leicester in 2021. There is no doubt about it – the son of Flemish Brabant is a big-game footballer.
Stat attack
Manchester United led the Premier League for shots last season, with 596. Much will depend upon Bruno Fernandes if they are to repeat this feat. He created at least 89 chances more than any other member of the squad and only fell six shy of taking the most shots. Fernandes turns 32 in early September; can he outrun age for another season?
Set for a breakthrough
Shea Lacey, the quick-footed diminutive winger from Liverpool, made four appearances under three different managers last season. On 21 December, an 84th-minute debut in the 2-1 loss at Aston Villa under Ruben Amorim made him academy product No 256 to feature for United. Eighteen days later, entering again on 84 minutes in the 2-2 draw at Burnley, Lacey’s next cameo was for Darren Fletcher. Fast-forward four days and Lacey lasted only 27 minutes of United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup after being sent off late on, later apologising. The 19-year-old had to wait five months before making his next appearance for United, this time under Carrick, entering in the 62nd minute of the final-day 3-0 victory at Brighton. He is now very much part of the first-team squad and one to watch.
World Cup impact
When England needed to stymie Argentina’s second-half onslaught in last month’s World Cup semi-final, with Anthony Gordon having put them 1-0 up, Thomas Tuchel became passive. Off went Gordon and Declan Rice and on came Ezri Konza and Nico O’Reilly. England subsequently crumpled, going on to lose 2-1. If Tuchel had instead turned to Kobbie Mainoo, a ball-carrying midfielder who could retain possession and move England up the field, Argentina may well have been thwarted. As it turned out, Mainoo did not play a second of the tournament. “I was in contact with him quite a bit through the summer [as] I’ve been in that position myself and not played at a World Cup,” Carrick said.