Manchester United’s squad needs a rebuild, again. The current squad is heavily unbalanced, built up of players from 5 different managers all with very different ideas of football and in particular heavily lacking in the midfield area. If the club want to get back to competing at the top level, which is what their aim is, then they need to make a significant number of changes.
Going into this summer, it has been unclear who a lot of United's main targets are, with many players linked but only loosely in a fair number of cases.
One market that United would be wise to take advantage of this summer is the free agent market, and UtdDistrict take a look at three players who have contracts expiring this summer that could add an extra dynamic to to Erik ten Hag's squad, be it short or long term.
Corentin Tolisso
United’s midfield is one of the worst of any top club in Europe currently, and the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have only further weakened this department. However, missing out on Champions League football for the 2022/23 season has impacted the club's plans for midfield, with players less likely to join as they favour playing amongst Europe’s elite.
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This is understood to be the main concern of Frenkie de Jong, who the Red Devils are most strongly linked with currently, and also part of the reason why the club did not secure the signing of Aurelien Tchouaméni, who is poised to sign for Real Madrid.
If the right long-term signing is unavailable this summer, then there is no problem in going for a short term fix whilst waiting for the right player. One of the best options Manchester United could get in the free agent market is Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso.
Tolisso, whilst injury-prone at times, is a solid midfielder who is more than comfortable in possession averaging 14.98 progressive actions per 90 minutes in the league this season (as per FBRef), reliable defensively, not on excessively high wages (current salary is approximately £115,000 a week), fits in a double pivot for United and provides winning experience at the highest level.
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Aged just 27, Tolisso could be a useful pickup on a two or three-year contract for the club whilst they search for the right midfield signing beyond that time.
Christian Eriksen
In recent days, it has emerged that United have entered the running for Christian Eriksen as his contract with Brentford comes to an end. United scouts were present at his Denmark game against Ralf Rangnick’s Austria, where he got an assist in a 2-1 win for Denmark.
Eriksen laid on a goal and 4 assists across 10 starts in his 6 month spell at Brentford, showing that he has still got the quality that made him one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League a few years ago.
Whilst United have Bruno Fernandes in that attacking midfield spot, with Donny van de Beek expected to play a role too, Eriksen has shown versatility in the past, being able to operate out on the right wing or even in a slightly deeper midfield role.
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He adds obvious quality, versatility, experience and will not be on expensive wages. Despite the fact that he would mainly be a squad player, he still has great hunger to prove himself and competition is always welcome at Manchester United.
Ousmane Dembélé
Last but not least, Ousmane Dembélé.
The French winger is the biggest risk of these three due to well documented issues with injuries in the past, but in recent months Barcelona boss Xavi has managed to get the best out of Dembélé. Manchester United desperately need a right winger, and Dembélé when he is on it is one of the best you can find.
If Ten Hag can consistently get the best out of him, then the club will have gone from having no natural right winger to having one who can potentially be one of the best players in his position in world football.
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Signing Ousmane is a big risk due to the aforementioned injury concerns and the fact that he will likely be on high wages, but it is a risk that is absolutely worth taking if Ten Hag finds an environment for Dembélé to thrive.
The signing of Dembélé would also help the club plug a big gap in the right side of the squad, as the majority of United's wingers prefer playing on the left hand side.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Ousmane Dembele, Christian Eriksen, Manchester United, Barcelona, Brentford