The new campaign of the English Premier League has started, with new stories ready to be written. We have already witnessed many changes within the first 3 weeks of the season itself. However, things look absolutely unchanged at the Red side of Manchester. Manchester United have kicked off their new Premier League campaign with 2 loses in 3 games. After playing three matches, the Red Devils have collected just 3 points, whereas their noisy neighbors and the champions of the land, Manchester City, have collected 9 points out of the first three games.
In their first match, Manchester United played Fulham at home, in which new signing, Joshua Zirkzee, helped the Red Devils to secure a late win by scoring on his debut. After that match, every United fan thought that this season was going to be a decent one for them, but the happiness didn’t last long for them.
Erik Ten Hag’s United lost two matches back-to-back, first against Brighton, and then against arch-rivals, Liverpool. Both of these teams have appointed new managers, whereas the United boss is into his 3rd season in the Premier League.
These results didn’t go unnoticed in the football world. Questions have been raised regarding Ten Hag’s future at Manchester United. Among all these uncertainties, the Chief Executive and Sporting Director have said that they believe in the Dutch manager. According to Guardian, the sporting director Dan Ashworth said, “Do we still believe in Erik? “Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us, and we’re fully backing him.“
Manchester United under the new ownership
After acquiring a major stake in Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe changed the club’s sporting director and appointed Dan Ashworth. Previously, he had led the transfer activities at Newcastle United. He was involved in the transfers of Aleksander Isak, Sven Botman, and Anthony Gordon, which have turned out to be monumental for the Magpies.
United want to utilize the expertise of Dan Ashworth. Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group bought Joshua Zirkzee, Lenny Yoro, and De Ligt in the summer transfer window . The INEOS group has a different way of doing things. They are patient, and they believe that Erik Ten Hag will bring back success at the club. Ten Hag has lead the club to win two trophies in two seasons, which raises questions regarding the criticism that is being thrown towards the Dutch manager. Some pundits have labelled the criticism of Ten Hag as “too harsh”.
For this reason, the United hierarchy has supported Ten Hag. The Chief Executive of Manchester United said that they are taking the right decisions for the club. He added that this project will be successful, but they can’t say how long it will take to implement all the plans.
A new transfer strategy
The new Manchester United owner is rational and patient. There is a sense of optimism that the Red Devils will thrive under the INEOS group. However, the fans must have patience. The INEOS have started to build this team in a proper way. Before signing any player, they have analyzed their own requirements, and have proceeded after that only.
At this moment, Manchester United are identifying the players that they need. They have analyzed all the players and their traits. For sometime, the Red Devils brought in players based on their hype. For example, there was high demand for Brazilian winger Antony. So, they splashed an amount close to €80 million on him.
Jim Ratcliffe wants to build a United squad that will play fluent football under Erik Ten Hag. Every player should cooperate with each other. The appointment of Dan Ashworth and Christopher Vivell has proven to be the master stroke for Manchester United.
Both of them are perfectly carrying out this transfer strategy. Last season, Manchester United finished out of the top four spots in the Premier League. In the current season, they would surely want to achieve something big.
The Red Devils should apply Chelsea’s strategy. In the 2023-2024 season, the Blues sporting director, Paul Wintansley and his group thoroughly researched the players they are going to sign. This strategy has helped them to bring in players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Axel Disasi, and Dorde Petrovic. Each of them contributed a huge part in Chelsea’s 2023-2024 Premier League campaign. However, the same cannot be said looking for Chelsea based on their activity in this transfer window.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on:
