MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 02: Takehiro Tomiyasu of Arsenal is challenged by Jadon Sancho of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on December 02, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
How are Arsenal’s rivals Manchester United faring this summer?
After checking in with our our cross-town rivals Chelsea, let’s take a trip up to Manchester for a peek at what Red Devil Armada writer Sourav Mahanty thinks of their summer window so far. You can follow Sourav on Twitter @iSouravMahanty and I really appreciate him helping me out on this article!
My thoughts on United’s window so far are very mixed. For years their biggest need has been a proper defensive midfielder, but, as of this moment, they haven’t been linked with any players to fit that billing. Scott McTominay is not a stout enough midfielder to be the guy defensively and due to this missing piece, their whole team suffers. Harry Maguire, for instance, is a far worse player because he doesn’t have the requisite protection in front of him.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1547320681599229955
United have been in hot pursuit of Frenkie de Jong since the window opened but the Dutchman’s desire to remain in Spain means the deal will be a tricky one to pull off. They are, however, on track to sign Arsenal target Lisandro Martinez. Ten Hag’s relationship with the player has seemingly been the deciding factor for the player and United are ready to pay close to €60m for the versatile defender. Their first official signing of the summer also came from the Eredivisie with Tyrell Malacie joining from Feyenoord.
The elephant in the room, meanwhile, is Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports indicate that he wants to leave but the club have no interest in selling. I believe that Ronaldo had an overall negative effect on their team dynamics last season and they’d benefit from parting ways with the Portuguese attacker. But we will have to see how the situation continues to play out.
Continued on the next slide…
@iSouravMahanty and I really appreciate him helping me out on this article!</p>
<p>My thoughts on United’s window so far are very mixed. For years their biggest need has been a proper defensive midfielder, but, as of this moment, they haven’t been linked with any players to fit that billing. Scott McTominay is not a stout enough midfielder to be <em>the guy</em> defensively and due to this missing piece, their whole team suffers. Harry Maguire, for instance, is a far worse player because he doesn’t have the requisite protection in front of him.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1547320681599229955</p>
<p>United have been in hot pursuit of Frenkie de Jong since the window opened but the Dutchman’s desire to remain in Spain means the deal will be a tricky one to pull off. They are, however, on track to<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/14/rival-check-in-manchester-united/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/arsenal-must-move-on-from-ajax-lisandro-martinez/"> sign Arsenal target Lisandro Martinez.</a> Ten Hag’s relationship with the player has seemingly been the deciding factor for the player and United are ready to pay close to €60m for the versatile defender. Their first official signing of the summer also came from the Eredivisie with Tyrell Malacie joining from Feyenoord.</p>
<p>The elephant in the room, meanwhile, is Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports indicate that he wants to leave but the club have no interest in selling. I believe that Ronaldo had an overall negative effect on their team dynamics last season and they’d benefit from parting ways with the Portuguese attacker. But we will have to see how the situation continues to play out.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/14/rival-check-in-manchester-united/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Q&A with the Red Devil Armada </a>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-127728" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/14/rival-check-in-manchester-united/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1396861391.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1396861391.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1396861391-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Cristiano Ronaldo wants out of Manchester. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Here is my Q&A with Sourav, I hope you enjoy his insight into our rivals:</h2>
<p><em>Mitch:</em> What would you say was United’s biggest need going into this window and have they filled it yet or are set to soon?</p>
<p><strong>Sourav: United have two huge needs: CB and CM. It does feel like they might be close to filling them though.</strong></p>
<p><em>Mitch:</em> Who is your dream signing this summer?</p>
<p><strong>Sourav: The dream signing would be Matthijs de Ligt.</strong></p>
<p><em>Mitch:</em> Thoughts on the Ronaldo situation and how that plays out will affect United’s season?</p>
<p><strong>Sourav: In a different time, it would have been difficult to hold onto Ronaldo in this situation. But it feels like there is not a lot of interest in him this summer. Ronaldo is someone who gives it his all, though, so when the season starts, I’m sure he’ll be doing his best to find the back of the net.</strong></p>
<p><em>Mitch:</em> What needs to happen to achieve a 10/10 window in your eyes?</p>
<p><strong>Sourav: Signing a top-quality CB, CM, and another striker who will score consistently.</strong></p>
<p><em>Mitch:</em> What are your thoughts on Arsenal’s business so far this window?</p>
<p><strong>Sourav: Arsenal have made some high potential signings and if they work out, they can finish in the top four. The thing about potential, though, is that it is worth nothing if you don’t fulfil it. So let’s see. At the moment, I’ll give it a 6/10 but it has the potential to be an 8 or a 9 in the long term.</strong></p>
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<p>Matthijs de Ligt seems to be a man in demand with both Sourav and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/14/rival-check-in-manchester-united/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/12/arsenal-rivals-summer-check-in-chelsea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Pride of London’s Gabe</a> wanting him for their squads. It’ll be interesting to see if CB is a position that United targets after buying Martinez. I can’t emphasise enough how much I think they need a proper holding midfielder, De Jong is a baller but if he doesn’t want to join it could be best to move on.</p>
<p>Thanks again to Sourav for helping me out with this article and be sure to give him a follow!</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
