It’s shaping up to be yet another crucial summer for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Manchester United hierarchy. From transfers to appointing a new manager, the short, medium and long-term future of the football club will almost certainly rest on their decisions this summer.
Michael Carrick was ushered in on an interim basis to replace Ruben Amorim following his disastrous reign as boss earlier this year. It’s worked out so far, with Carrick having brought about a sense of new optimism, while helping United rocket up the table into the Champions League positions.
The former England midfielder has even talked up the Red Devils’ chances of closing the gap to Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. While that might be a touch ambitious, there are suggestions that United - be that under Carrick or whoever takes charge in the off-season - could be a genuine title contender next year.
If the 20-time champions are to be in the mix this time in 12 months, sorting out their winger situation will almost certainly be a priority. It’s being reported that United could be about to pull a U-turn and target a wide-forward, having spent most of the last three seasons trying to shift wingers on.
Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, and even academy product Marcus Rashford have all caused transfer headaches for the United bigwigs. Antony was sold to Real Betis for £21.65million last September, while Garnacho put pen to paper on a £40m move to Chelsea in the same summer.
It would appear Sancho and Rashford are set to follow in their former team-mates’ footsteps by leaving the Old Trafford outfit on a permanent basis. Sancho’s deal is set to expire in the summer and, according to the BBC, United aren’t looking to open contract talks.
Meanwhile, Rashford, who has spent the current campaign out on loan at Barcelona, is also edging closer to a permanent exit. The La Liga giants have a £26m option to buy, with talks having started in recent weeks over the possibility of triggering the clause.
As such, Carrick admitted United could be tempted into the market to sign an attacking addition, with the ex-Middlesbrough boss saying: "I think you're always looking at the balance of the team and the squad to give you the utmost flexibility, so it's definitely something to look at, for sure." Before adding: “Quite possibly,” when pressed for an answer.
United had been in the mix to sign Antoine Semenyo in January, but the Ghana international opted to join rivals City instead. Anthony Gordon and Yan Diomande have been mooted as potential options in the summer.