The obvious weekness that man utd presently have that needs to be solved

Manchester United are top of the Premier League table with three wins out of three.

The Red Devils have scored 10 goals and conceded none. All told it’s been a near-perfect start to José Mourinho’s second season in charge and United will be feeling confident about their aims to reclaim the Premier League title for the first time in five years.

It’s hard to tell how things could have gotten much better for United, but there have been two areas of obvious weakness where a bit of improvement could certainly be made where United could truly eradicate any weakness from their team.

The first is at left-back, and the second is on right-wing.

A temporary problem

For the left-back issue, the two options to play there each present their own problem. Matteo Darmian is a superb defender, and is able to shut down opposing wingers and forwards. But the Italian is awful in attack, contributing next to nothing when United have the ball. Daley Blind meanwhile, is not as solid in defence but theoretically contributes more in attack.

 

Except his contribution is only theoretical (and, if one were being charitable, positionally). Star striker Romelu Lukaku has been visibly frustrated with Blind on a number of occasions already this season, when the Dutchman has whiffed on chances to send crosses into the box.
So that’s a problem, but it’s one that will be fixed by the return to fitness of Luke Shaw. The Englishman has endured a sketchy start to his United career but spent his summer sorting his personal life out and has approached this campaign with renewed vigour. He’ll come good, so this is not the major issue.

Wing weakness

The big problem Manchester United have is on the right wing, where their options are limited or ill-fitting. Henrikh Mkhitaryan made a go of things there last season, but this campaign has proven he is considerably better playing through the middle.

Juan Mata is even worse as a right-winger in the sense that he doesn’t really spend much time on the wing. He comes infield at almost every opportunity. And alright this allows the Red Devils to create passing combinations, but it robs them of the width that is so key to breaking a side down.

Against Leicester City, United’s right flank was so bare (with Mata infield) that Paul Pogba was having to flare out wide to try and create something. Of course Mourinho could play Jesse Lingard but he’s ill-suited to being a starter due to his lack of top-level ability.

This asymmetric line-up places a colossal burden on Antonio Valencia to be the team’s width on the right flank. And while he is often up to the task, if he has an off day where he’s barrelling crosses into the first man (as he did against Leicester) then United become much easier to defend. An opponent only really has to worry about two areas of the pitch and can leave just one defender on the right to stop Valencia.

The paucity of quality on United’s right is highlighted by their dynamic duo on the left (they have created four chances from the right-flank this season, with double that coming from the left).

Jose Mourinho has been rotating Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as the team’s left-wingers and the two of them have repeatedly created chances, danger and goals for the Red Devils. The starter has played well and when the other came off the bench (Martial twice, Rashford once) they pushed the side into overdrive.

The solution

United won’t be able to assemble a wing duo like Martial and Rashford in the few days left of the transfer window. Nor should he look to: Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both present intriguing and useful alternative options for the Red Devils as the season progresses. United are merely lacking a first-choice.
A starting winger. That’s what United need. Someone who can stretch an opponent wide across the pitch, drawing double coverage the way that Rashford or Martial tend to. A player with pace and dynamism who is able to move down the outside and send crosses in to Romelu Lukaku (among others).

Mourinho identified a winger as one of his four transfer priorities this summer, and it remains the only position he hasn’t filled. Ivan Perisic was the long-rumoured target, but that move stalled given Inter’s unreal evaluation. United also hoped to bring Gareth Bale back to Britain but were rebuffed by the Welshman’s desire to stay in sunny Spain.

Canny options like Ryad Boudebouz were dismissed if they were even considered, and so United face the prospect of entering Mourinho’s second season without all the players he wants. This would be bad for morale and will surely be brought up numerous times should United ever fail to win a match, but for once Mourinho’s grousing would be legitimate as the Red Devils do need a right-winger.

The options

Who could play there? Well United could target a cross-heavy wide player like Darko Lazovic, Genoa’s Serbian right-wing-back who has the kind of dribbling and crossing skills that could make him exactly what United need. He’s not world-class but with 153 attempted crosses from the right-flank last season (6th in Europe’s top five leagues) and 36 take-ons from the right (9th) he would fill a role superbly.

 

But given their financial might, United could do many stupider things than hijacking Alexis Sánchez’s proposed move to Manchester City. While the limits of Arsene Wenger’s imagination have seen Alexis often deployed as an inside forward on the left, he has always been most at home on the right.
Sure, Alexis doesn’t play the role in an orthodox fashion – but he covers what United need there. He begins in the half-space and can link superbly with a full-back: his combinations with Mauricio Isla powered much of Chile’s attacking excellence as they won the Copa América in 2016 and 2016.

Alexis can cut infield but is also much happier playing genuinely wide than Mata or Mkhitaryan. He’s a more athletic player and is capable of actually attacking the byline with pace and skill to send in crosses. He’s a world-class talent who runs until his lungs give out, plays through any number of injuries with an intensely macho sensibility that aligns perfectly with Mourinho’s own.

Alexis would be a blockbuster signing and would instantly make Manchester United almost impossible to deal with in attack. Do you double Alexis? Or Rashford/Martial? And then what do you do about Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba through the middle?

It would be a game-changing signing, turning United’s one major area of weakness into a position of incredible strength whilst simultaneously weakening Arsene Wenger (a bonus for Mourinho) and denying Pep Guardiola a world-class player (a bonus for United). It makes too much sense.